


Serpentine

by IShottheSheriff



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Anorexia, Canon Divergence, David's a precious baby, Eli's a meanie, Frottage, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Masturbation, Neglect, Olfactophilia, Sibling Incest, Sibling Rivalry, Slow(ish) Burn, Snake doesn't know how to dad, Twincest, Voyeurism, adding more tags as I go, awkward teenagers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-24
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2018-10-09 09:26:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 38
Words: 90,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10409028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IShottheSheriff/pseuds/IShottheSheriff
Summary: Upon finding his third and final clone, David, Big Boss brings him to live under his roof.Spending most of his time away as the commander of Outer Heaven, he leaves the quarrelsome and lonely twins Solid and Liquid Snake to all but raise themselves.





	1. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Metal Gear series.

David had never been on a plane before. Sure, he had travelled to and fro between states to reach various foster homes, but the journey had always been by car or coach or train. People’s opinions of aeroplanes were very black and white – either they were the safest mode of transport, or they were unholy metal death traps. Needless to say he was a bundle of nerves boarding.

He was on his own, with only a ticket and a backpack containing a change of clothes and a comic. All his stuff was already boxed, but it was being moved separately. To be honest, there wasn’t much; getting ricocheted from place to place all his life meant he was used to having few belongings.

The stewardess at the gate gave him a painfully big smile as he handed her his pass.

“Are you travelling alone?” her voice had long since perfected the trademark sweetness and concern.

“Yeah.” David mumbled back. He half expected her to pinch his cheeks and tell him what a brave boy he was. It wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened to him. Thankfully she didn’t, maybe he had finally grown out of being patronised now that he was 15.

“I hope you have a wonderful journey!” the stewardess beamed, handing the boarding pass back. Overly happy people seriously annoyed him, but he had a strange respect for those who had to use it in their job. There was no way he could fake a smile for a second, let alone all day every day.

His ticket didn’t just get him on the plane before most of the other passengers - it was first class too. He had a spacious seat next to a window. Luxury was never something he could afford, and he decided immediately that it was overrated. However, it was nice not to be boxed in like a sardine in a tin.

An old lady wearing a dress suit and a factory’s worth of perfume perched herself in the seat beside him, pulling a lacy fan from her purse and waving it daintily. He made a face of disgust that went unnoticed. The lady was so over the top she was almost a parody. David had never really understood rich people.

After the minor panic of taking off, the flight quickly became boring. The comic lasted less than an hour, and it took just as long to get tired of the crossword book he had bought at the airport. Watching the clouds go by entertained him for a few minutes before he felt he’d seen all there was to see outside.

 _Now I know why aeroplanes are so dangerous – they bore you to death!_ With an hour of the flight left to go, he fidgeted uncomfortably until he fell asleep.

“…man. Young man.” David surfaced from his slumber groggily, turning toward the insistent voice. “Young man, the plane has landed.” The fancy old woman prodded him with a rolled up magazine as though he were contagious. Satisfied that he was no longer unconscious she rose from her seat to join the flow of first class passengers filing out.

Shoving his books back into his hand luggage, David got up and shuffled with the others toward the exit.

At baggage collection people were bustling to get their things and hurry to their respective families and taxis and buses. He didn’t have any cases to wait for, so he just weaved past them toward the bus bay. His father had given him three tickets: one for the bus to the airport, one from New Jersey to California and another from the airport to the town of Los Prados. On the corner of the last ticket he had jotted down the exact address.

A lot of trust was being placed in David to cross the country alone. His father had only known him for a few days, too. He had just come into his life out of the blue and told him he was coming home. At the time David had been between foster families, staying in a group home in Newark.

Obviously, he was more than a little surprised to discover he actually had relatives in the big wide world. There was no denying that they were related either, David looked so much like his father that he might as well have been his clone. Of course, there were a few differences – the only other time David had seen someone with an eyepatch was when he crossed the road to avoid walking past a drunk guy dressed as a pirate. And even then, it was probably just for the costume.

 _Bus 204 C, bay 12. Where…am I in the wrong place?...No, there it is_. The bus was already loading passengers, the driver lugging suitcases into the compartments at the bottom.

“Um…excuse me?” he tried to get the driver’s attention. “Excuse me?”

“What is it, kid?” The portly man was panting from the effort of lifting the bags.

“Uh, does this bus go to Los Prados?”

“Does it say that on the ticket?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Then that’s your answer. Get on, we’re leaving.” _Rude_. David left the man to his bad mood. Inside it was hot and stuffy. When he sat down a cloud of dust billowed from the seat, making him cough. So far on his journey he had encountered snooty people, rude people and gross vehicles. _What a great start._ The plane seat hadn’t been too bad, though.

He put his backpack on the seat next to him so that no one would sit there. There were more than enough seats for everyone else. They chugged out of the bus bay, waiting five whole minutes at a traffic light just to leave the airport and get onto the road. A baby began crying somewhere behind him, and everyone gave a collective sigh of annoyance.

Having had lived on the east coast his whole life, the first thing he imagined when he heard the word ‘California’ were glamourous superstars, sunny beaches, surfing and roller skates. From out the dirty window he could see none of the above. There were trees, but they weren’t palm trees. It wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t holiday hot either. Los Prados was in Tehama County in the north, so he was nowhere near the stereotype of his imagination.

It took an hour and fifteen minutes to reach Los Prados. He was the only one getting off at the stop there. As the bus rattled away a silence rose all around him. _It’s so quiet here…_ If he had been back in Newark his ears would be bombarded by the traffic and the people; even in the less busy areas the hum of commotion could be heard far away.

 _This isn’t so bad. It’s a bit like Vermont, but warmer. And less orange._ David wondered over to the information stand to see the town map. The ‘you are here’ dot was a sticker of a smiley face. He got out the ticket with the address on it and looked for his road. There was only one with the same name, curling round the outskirts of town and stopping by a lake. _What?_ He checked again, and came to the same conclusion – he wasn’t mistaken. _No, that’s so far away! Damn, I just want to sit down._

David took a pamphlet with the map on it and got to walking. After two wrong turns he finally happened upon his road, taking a left. _There aren’t many houses along here. This has to be the right place, though. Ooh, there’s a house!...It’s not the right number._

He passed by three more houses, getting anxious to reach his destination. A home. A real one, not just a temporary one, with a real family in it. His father had mentioned that he had a twin brother living there too. David had been thinking about him a lot. Why had they been separated? Had his twin gone to a home as well? What TV shows does he like? What music does he like? Is he excited to meet him too?

In his daydreaming he almost walked right past the next house without reading the number. _Wait, this is it! Number 23!_ He stood looking at the mailbox for a minute, gathering his courage. _It’s alright. I can totally do it. Yeah! Just…one foot in front of the other…_

The place was rather impressive. It was two storeys, and was twice as wide as it was tall. By the looks of the roof windows the loft had been converted. _Three_ _storeys, then. It’s so big…is he rich? He_ did _give me a first class ticket._ A grass garden surrounded the house on all sides, and there was a swinging bench on the veranda. _Is this real? Please don’t wake up now!_

David raised a shaking hand and knocked on the door. _…Maybe I wasn’t loud enough._ As he made to knock again it opened, revealing a strikingly familiar face.

“David.” His father smiled at him and stepped aside for him to enter.

“Hi.” He sounded much too timid for his liking.

“Did you find the place ok?” _No, I almost got lost in the maze that is this town._

“Yeah.” He stooped to untie his shoes.

“Don’t worry about that, Eli tracks in enough mud for a hundred people. Go on then, you’re allowed in.” David had been standing awkwardly, waiting for further instruction. He made himself start walking slowly, still unsure where he wanted to go. “Listen, I’m sorry to do this to you kid, but I’ve gotta run. I tried to take the day off for you, but something came up.”

David took another look at his father. He was dressed in DPM camo with a rifle slung over his back. _What the fuck? How the hell didn’t I notice that?! “_ I know its terrible timing. I wish I didn’t have to. So, feel free to make yourself at home. Eat anything you want.” As he was talking, he started reloading another gun that David hadn’t seen. “Go anywhere you want in the house, nowhere is off limits. ‘Cept for my room and the basement. Stay out of them.”

The magazine snapped into the handgun and he stowed it back in the holster at his side. “Your room is on the top floor, next to Eli’s. If you ask him, I’m sure he’ll give you a tour. Alright, I think that’s it. Bye, son – oh, and welcome home.” His father gave him a pat on the head and turned to leave, lifting another rifle bag over his shoulder before closing the door behind him.

 _Oh. Ok then._ David had been expecting to see more of him, now that he was home. _Well, if he’s busy then it can’t be helped. Children get to stay at home all the time. It must be completely normal for a normal family, right?_ Still, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed. _I suppose…I’ll go find my room, then._

The porch opened onto a wide hall with a room on each side and a staircase along the wall. _Top floor. My brother is here too, I should go say hi._ The landing on the second floor was almost a repeat of the first. At the end of the spacious landing another staircase led to the loft, and even more rooms and corridors branched off further into the house. _Top floor._

Before he even reached the first step he could hear music blaring above. At the top were two doors opposite one another, and a window facing the back garden. He opened the one without the deafening music and got the first look at his room. None of his stuff had arrived yet, so it was just a desk, chair, closet and a bed.

Dumping his bag in, he crossed the small space between his room and his brother’s. He was eager to meet him. The word ‘Liquid’ had been scratched onto the door. Someone had sanded and painted over it, but it was still faintly visible. _Alright. Here goes nothing._

His knocking had to be repeated a few times to be heard over the racket. The music clicked off and the door cracked open a second later.

“What?” _Shit. So we’re identical twins, then._ Eli’s incredibly unamused face peered out from the gap. Unlike David he had long blonde hair. “Oh, it’s you.” The brunette had expected him to have a different accent, but an English one was quite the surprise.

“Hi. I’m Da-”

“- David, yeah, I know. What do you want?”

“Nothing, I was just…saying hi.”

“Hmph.” The door closed again, a fraction harder than necessary. Eli’s music started up again. _That was…kinda mean. Maybe he’s shy…I just need to be patient, that’s all. I’ll be ok here. This isn’t so bad…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this first chapter was odd and really boring! It's just to set the scene before the story starts up :)  
> Probably not important, but the town's made up


	2. Blood and Batteries

The music stopped at 3pm. David was channel surfing the big TV in the living room after a cursory exploration of the house. By then the sound coming from Eli’s room had become white noise, and he only remembered that it had been playing when it was abruptly turned off.

He looped an arm over the back of the sofa, straining to hear what was going on upstairs. Footsteps, thumping down loudly. David waited patiently for the blonde to appear in the hall where it was connected to the living room by a large archway.

Eli jumped the last four stairs, sticking the landing and flicking his hair back as he stood. _Could he be any more dramatic about it?_

“Hi,” David called over to him. His twin scoffed at him and walked off toward the porch. _He’s wearing a backpack. Is he going out?_ “Hey, where are you goin’?”

“Piss off, Solid!” The front door slammed behind him.

“Oooookay then. Bye, I guess.” He sat back and picked up the remote again, sticking a hand in the packet of crisps he’d found in the giant kitchen. _This isn’t so bad. I’ve got a good TV._ The A-Team flicked on between teleshopping networks, so he stopped to watch it.

                                                                                                   ~

At 5:46 Eli came back. As their father had said, he waltzed right in in dirty trainers. Catching sight of his brother peacefully watching the telly, he swerved away from taking the stairs and went to annoy him.

“Oi, get out. It’s my turn to watch TV.” David looked up at him blankly. “Get out, it’s my turn!”

“Ok.” The brunette handed him the remote. He snatched it and used it to point toward the stairs.

“Now fuck off.”

“I don’t mind watching something else.” Honestly, he wanted nothing more than to get away from his obnoxious sibling, but he felt he needed to stand his ground. He wasn’t a pushover, so he wouldn’t let Eli boss him around like a princess.

“Are you deaf? _Go. Away_.”

“I’ll be quiet.”

“Fuck off!” Eli jabbed him in the ribs with the remote. _Don’t cave._ The jabbing moved to his face, and he swatted it away just in time when he aimed for his eye.

“Quit it!” He blocked another swipe. Eli growled and threw the remote across the room, where it hit the wall and ejected its batteries.

“FINE then!” he pouted, storming away to his room. _Jesus Christ! What the hell is his problem?_ After hearing a door bang on the third floor, he got up to retrieve the remote. _What a baby. Is he like this with everyone? Or is it just with me? That wouldn’t be fair, I didn’t even do anything!_

A fixed remote and a few channels later the front door opened again behind him, and his father emerged from the porch.

“Oh, there you are. You like your new room?” he stepped into the light, and David saw blood seeping through the camo at his midsection. The word ‘SNAKE’ had been sewn onto his shoulder, under an emblem depicting a winged skull.

“Uh, yes, thank you. A-are you hurt?”

“Huh? No, this isn’t mine.” _…What?_ The older man let the rifle bag fall to the floor, pulling a matchbox and cigar from one of his pockets. “You met Eli yet?”

“Yeah, he…I don’t think he likes me very much.” ‘SNAKE’ laughed, striking a match that highlighted more blood splattered across his face.

“He’s a little shit, isn’t he? Don’t let him get to ya. Tell me if he gives you too much trouble, I’ll sort him out.” Going by the blood all over him, David guessed he wasn’t the kind of guy you wanted to be _sorted out_ by.

“Ok…What did you say your job was again?” His father gave him a smirk.

“Petting puppies. Hard work, I wouldn’t recommend it.” he tilted his head back and blew out a plume of smoke. “I’m a mercenary. You know what that is?” David nodded. “Good.” Snake sauntered off into the opposite room, dragging the rifle bag behind him.

 _He’s covered in blood, that’s so creepy!_ He decided it was time to retire to his room. _Well…if you’re a mercenary, you’re bound to get some on you from time to time, right?_ ( _Does that mean he killed someone today?) Maybe I should just stop thinking about it._ _He’s given me a home and a family (even if my brother is a bit of a dick), so I should think about that, instead…It’s really none of my business, anyway._

His door was open when he reached the loft. David was sure he remembered closing it.

“What are you doing in here?” Eli was standing at his closet, rifling through the few items of clothing he had hung up there. He whipped around, looking for a second like he was actually guilty for being caught red-handed. It didn’t last long, and he corrected himself quickly.

“I-it’s rude to sneak around like that!”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m just – having a look. At your stuff.” _Why is he being so jumpy?_

“Ok…” David was sure his twin would pitch a fit if he decided to rummage through _his_ room. He couldn’t be bothered to argue with him again right then. Perhaps if he was careful, then he could have a proper conversation with him. It was still his first day, and he’d gone the whole minute without being sworn at.

“You don’t have a lot of it. Stuff, I mean.”

“No, it’s being brought here separately.” The search couldn’t have lasted long. David noticed the comic tossed on his bed, and saw an opening for conversation. “So, do you like -”

“- I have to go.” Eli shot out of the room, breezing right into his own.

“…Comics?” _Jeez, he’s weird. At least he didn’t bite my head of, though._

~

Eli had been dreading the day his twin moved in. Snake warned him that he’d get a beating if he was a ‘moody lil’ shit’ towards him, but that certainly wasn’t going to stop him. For all he knew, Snake could have been joking – he called him names all the time as terms of endearment. He knew Snake was dead serious, but he was prepared to use it as his defence.

When David had knocked on his door he felt it was the beginning of the end. Or the beginning of the bullshit, anyway. Slamming the door in his face hadn’t been nearly satisfying enough. _So, that was Solid Snake. He doesn’t look so tough to me. I could definitely kick his ass, recessive genes or no!_

His plan to intimidate him had gone awry when David refused to budge from the settee. Hitting him with the remote didn’t work either. Eli couldn’t just beat him up, he had to have a reason. Getting Solid to hit him for being annoying gave him the chance to plead self-defence, but the brunette just wouldn’t get angry! In the end he’d been angry enough for the two of them, and stomped off in a rage.

Once in his room, the rage didn’t let up. _Stupid idiot! He’s doing this to me on purpose!_ He kicked the post of his bed and flopped down onto it. _It’s not_ fair! _Why did Dad let him come here? It’s not fair!_

His temper was slowly coming down the longer he stayed there. _I don’t like it. I don’t want him here!_ Eli got up again suddenly with a tempting idea. _I could look through his things while he’s downstairs…Maybe he has something interesting that I can ‘borrow’._

As quietly as he could, he opened his door a peeped his head past it. The TV volume was too low to be heard from the loft, but he hadn’t noticed any footsteps coming back up.

Solid’s room was as bare as it had always been, with the exception of the backpack on the chair. _Ooh, what do we have here?_ He tiptoed over to it, dragging back the zips. _Books?_ Eli pulled the comic and crossword puzzles out giving each of them a speedy flip-through and tossing them on the bed. _Just books? He must have unpacked._

The closet was his next target. There was hardly anything in there either, just a shirt, jacket, jeans and some underwear chucked onto the shelf. _Ugh. I hope for his sake that he never goes out in public wearing these._ He tugged the t-shirt from the hanger, lifting it for a better look. _‘New Jersey Devils’? How original, a sport-loving Yank. Is this all he has? That’s depressing…_

Eli checked the room behind him nervously. _Still watching TV…_ He turned back to the closet, his stomach fluttering. Tentatively, he brought the shirt up to his face and gave it a sniff. _Well…at least he doesn’t stink_. His curiosity satiated, he cast the shirt aside and moved to the next item. David’s underwear was hanging off the shelf slightly, almost begging to be picked up.

The blonde took a pair of boxers down, holding them like he had done the shirt for inspection. They were a plain navy blue, and looked rather new. Nothing special. Eli looked over his shoulder again, feeling the butterflies getting stronger. He pressed the boxers against his face gently, inhaling with a shiver. _He doesn’t smell that bad. It’s mostly just washing powder…What would it smell like if he’d worn them?_

A crow cawed from the windowsill, clacking its feet on the tiles of the slanted roof. Eli squeaked in surprise, glaring at the bird through the window. It seemed to sense his stare and took off.

“Give me a bloody heart attack…” he whispered. For a moment his heart was beating so fast he could hear it in his ears. _Stupid thing._ The underwear regained his focus once he got over the fright. He hesitated, going to the door to check down the stairs. _Still nothing._ Taking his place back by the closet, he pushed the boxers harder against him and gave a long sigh as he exhaled. The smell was starting to grow on him. Maybe David’s underwear would inexplicably go missing after this.

Keeping the garments in place with one hand, he slipped another down the front of his ripped jeans.

“What are you doing in here?” _FUCK!_ David was in the doorway, watching him suspiciously. Luckily he was able to get the hand out of his trousers quickly. The boxers were hidden behind his back.

“I-it’s rude to sneak around like that!”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m just – having a look. At your stuff.” _How long was he standing there?!_

“Ok…” _Shit, shit, throw him off!_

“You don’t have a lot of it. Stuff, I mean.”

“No, it’s being brought here separately.” His twin’s gaze swept over his invaded privacy, catching on the discarded books. Eli used the distraction to drop the underwear and kick them to the back of the closet with the shirt. “So, do you like -”

“- I have to go.” He darted out, cutting David off. Safely back in his own room, he leaned against the door as though it would protect him somehow. _Fuck…that was much too close!_ How would he have explained that? _I didn’t even hear him come up the stairs! God, I’m sweating so bad…_

The last time he had been caught touching himself, his older brother George had still been living at home. He’d moved out earlier that year at 21. Eli had developed a nasty penchant for creeping into his room and masturbating to his dirty clothes and bedsheets while he was out. His favourite thing to do was roll himself in his quilt like a pastry. It got really hot under the thick layers, but it was worth it.

George had come back from the shop after forgetting their father’s wallet, and walked in on Eli jerking off over his pillow. The younger brother had gotten off lightly with a smack and a warning that their father would find out if he didn’t do exactly what George wanted; which was for him to wait on him like a maid for the duration of his time at home. Solidus didn’t need to get up for a drink after that.

When he left, the sneaking around had stopped for Eli. He wouldn’t dream of doing the same with his father, so he went back to regular boring masturbation. Plus it wouldn't be the same, even if he couldn't quite put his finger on what made his brother's things so exciting.

_I need to be more careful…That was really stupid of me! I didn’t even close the door! No more – it won’t happen again. I have to stop doing it..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little Liquid with a kink for sibling incest  
> >:3


	3. Cuts and Scrapes

The sun woke David up at 7:03am, perfectly aligned with his eyes through the window in the slanted ceiling. He’d forgotten to pull the blind down. Without any way to tell the time he decided to get dressed and head downstairs.

He hadn’t cleaned up after Eli the previous evening, so his clothes would have to be worn crumpled from spending a night on the floor of his closet. At least a few things had stayed on the hangers, it was only a shirt and a pair of boxers left in a heap. _Why was he looking at my underwear? He’s weird._

At the landing of the second floor he turned into the bathroom he and his twin shared. It would be nice to feel clean after all the travelling.

He almost bumped into Snake leaving the bathroom after a shower; his eyes were covered by the towel he was rubbing on his head.

“Careful.” David jumped at the voice, which made his father laugh. “You sleep ok?” Snake was fitted out in fatigues again, this time without the blood.

“Yes.”

“Alright. I’m going to work now, make sure you eat breakfast.” He patted his son’s wet head again and disappeared down the stairs.

“Ok.” _Where does a mercenary get work in such a peaceful place, anyway?_

Tossing the towel in his room’s hamper, he tiptoed down to the kitchen. Since Eli was probably still sleeping, he thought it a good idea not to wake him. The blonde didn’t strike him as a morning person.

Safely out of earshot, David poured himself some cereal in an oversized bowl. He hadn’t eaten much on the journey yesterday and Snake hadn’t made either of them dinner, so he was understandably ravenous. Balancing the slightly overflowing bowl with the concentration of a monk, he made his way to the sitting room (and, more importantly, the television).

“Got enough cereal, there?”

“ _Jesus_ , don’t _do_ that!” Eli grinned at his successful scare, slipping away in his pyjama bottoms to fix his own breakfast. “I, uh, missed dinner last night.” David called to him, still determined to make decent conversation.

“You didn’t miss anything.”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t you get the memo? We make our own food here. Don’t wait for him to do it or you’ll starve.” _We make dinner? That’s…_

“How come?”

“Ugh, do you ever stop talking? It’s like living with a radio! And stuck on a fucking boring channel, at that!” _How polite._ David put his efforts on hold. Surely it would be easier after the morning.

~

At 9:00 Eli re-emerged from his room, clattering down to the front door.

“You going out again?” David spotted the backpack from his seat in the living room. He got a middle finger in response, and the blonde vacated the house. Being a curious boy, David got up to follow him.

Eli was already quite far down the road by the time he laced up his shoes. He’d taken a left at the mailbox. _That’s strange._ If he remembered rightly, the rest of town was in the opposite direction. _Maybe he’s going to the lake. I suppose I can swim in my clothes._

He hadn’t been swimming in a while. The cold water would be a relief, he was uncomfortably hot in the t-shirt and jeans. Eli had the right idea – he was wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top.

The fairer twin cast a glance over his shoulder, stopping dead when he saw his brother a few metres behind him.

“What do you think you’re doing? Go home!” David stopped too, not saying a word. Eli continued his onward march, picking up the pace. A few strides on he spared another peek back. The brunette had caught up even more. “Quit following me!”

“C’mon, I’m bored!”

“Oh, boohoo! Go find something else to do.” He went even faster, checking a third time when he felt he’d made some distance. David was still tagging along. “Wha- do you want a fucking smack, mate? _Stop following me!_ ”

“I’m not, I’m just taking a walk.”

“A walk? Do us a favour and take a flying leap!” Eli turned around crossing his arms defiantly. The brunette could tell he wouldn’t move until he got his way, so he made a compromise and kept going until he went right passed his road-block brother.

A very confused Eli watched him go, down the path he had just been taking. _Do…do I win, then?_ Reluctantly, he carried on with his trek, making sure to go slowly so as not to catch up. _Where does he even think he’s going? He’ll probably just turn back at the end of the road._

The end of the road was still quite far though, especially with the leisurely speed David was adopting. The dark haired snake twisted suddenly, faking surprise at the other.

“Are you following me?” he asked, failing to keep the smirk off his face. Eli blanched, hardly believing what his twin had said. Then he began jogging, _sprinting_ toward him, intent on getting close enough to harm him in some way – he hadn’t made his mind up exactly how, but he was sure he’d think of something.

David took off running too, laughing at the danger he was completely oblivious to. The backpack was impeding the blonde’s progress, placing him at a disadvantage over the unencumbered snake. _You better run, you asshole! Why aren’t I getting any closer?_

Focussed solely on grabbing his target, he didn’t notice his tucked in laces fall out of place. “Oof!”

David heard the thwack and stopped to look back. Eli was sitting up from his fall, inspecting the damage on the heels of his hands. His knees were cut too, and he had a graze on his cheek where he had scraped it on the concrete. “Ow…”

“A-are you ok?” David went to him, not sure what he should do. “Does it hurt?” As he went to kneel down for a better look, Eli came back to life.

“Don’t touch me! Go away!”

“But you –”

“- This is your fault! I’m telling Dad you pushed me over!”

“I didn’t push you, you fell!” Eli rubbed some blood and grit from his palms angrily. “You’re gonna get it dirty – let me see,” he gripped one of the hands, holding it up flat for a better look. It was snatched away immediately.

“Don’t fucking touch me!”

“You’re getting it dirty.”

“Hmph! It’s just a little scratch, I hardly think it’ll have to be amputated!” In a display of how little pain he was in, he jumped to his feet and gave his twin a shove before heading back to the house.

Eli felt like he had never been more embarrassed in his life. His short-lived chase had ended in the most humiliating way possible, leaving him to shuffle home in full view of his infuriating sibling. Although he was pretending otherwise, the cuts did hurt.

The stinging wasn’t enough to make him cry – he’d had much, much worse before – but, coupled with his mortification, he had been worried he might cry in front of his brother. _That would just be the icing on the cake, wouldn’t it?_

He didn’t bother seeing if David was walking back with him. Shutting himself in his room would get rid of him, anyway. _Stupid Solid._

~

Snake didn’t return home that night. David microwaved a ready meal for his dinner, cleaning both his and his twin’s dishes after. _It wouldn’t be fair to let him scrub with cuts on his hands_ , he told himself.

He felt his spirits lift when the door opened, expecting his father to come sauntering in. Instead a complete stranger crossed the threshold carrying two large boxes. _Who is that?_ At first he was a bit scared; the intruder could be a thief! _A thief bringing things_ in _to the house?_

“Um…who…?” His meek voice failed to gain the stranger’s attention. “…Excuse me?” The unfamiliar man seemed surprised when he noticed him, letting the boxes down and standing up straight.

“Oh! Uh – you’re the Boss’ kid, right?” _Am I?_

“Um…”

“Yeah, you look just like him! This is your stuff, I think. He asked me to bring it here. It was left in Heaven’s depo – wait a sec, there’s another box yet.” He left, returning a second later with the goods. “That should be it. Bye, Little Boss.”

And then he was gone. David stood in silence, processing what had happened. Before checking the boxes he went to the front door and locked it. _Should I tell my father that some random guy came in? Without even knocking? Do strangers come in like that all the time?_ All of a sudden his home felt much less safe.

 _Who on earth was that guy? ‘The Boss’ – maybe he works for him…He_ was _wearing the skull and uniform. But even so, he let himself in!_ Just then Eli came slinking into view, already in his pyjamas despite it still being light outside.

“Someone came in with these boxes.”

“And?” Obviously he was still nursing his wounded pride.

“Well, what if he was a murderer or something?”

“Don’t wet your little knickers, it was one of Dad’s men. We don’t worry about them.” The blonde ran himself a glass of water and started back to his room. His slight reassurance gave David some confidence. _Perhaps he’s over the fall, now._

“He called him the boss. So…does he own a company or something?” He was ignored. “Is he important?” Eli halted to give him a look of incredulity.

“Are you for real? ‘Is he important’?!” David shrugged. “Jesus Christ, _really?_ You know, I’ll wait for you to figure it out yourself. That may take a few millennia, though.”

“Figure what out?”

“You’re a bit strange, aren’t you?” he addressed him from halfway up the stairs, resting the hand that wasn’t busy holding the glass on his hip. _That’s rich, coming from you._

“At least I don’t play with people’s underwear.” Eli’s face went white and then bright pink.

“WHAT! I-I wasn’t playing with them, I was just looking!”

“So you admit you picked them up, then?”

“No, I…Fuck off, Solid!” Liquid stomped away, sloshing some water on the floor.

“Hehehe.” Full of pride in his achievement, he busied himself with the mystery boxes that had been left in the hall. The tape was sliced with a kitchen knife for him to get inside. _It’s the rest of my things! Finally, I need more clean clothes!_

Ten minutes later and he was regretting not asking the stranger – his father’s employee, apparently – for help carrying it all to his room. He seriously doubted his twin would be of any assistance in the matter. His back and shoulders were aching by the time the first load was hauled up.

Eventually he got everything in place, and unpacked his belongings. The closet was filled with clothes, the desk was laden with books and the bed was filled with a tired snake. His most prized possession, his skateboard, went at the end of his bed. _There. Now it’s really a proper bedroom._ He was finally beginning to feel settled in California.

~

Unbeknownst to the brunette, Eli had made a quick trip to his bedroom after fetching the glass of water. He had rooted through his hamper hurriedly, acting on an idea he just couldn’t banish from his mind.

Lounging around and daydreaming got him thinking about the close call he had had in David’s room, which got him thinking about touching himself with his clothes, which gave him a hard-on that refused to be satisfied until he had his brother’s worn shirt in his hand. _If I leave the towel on top, he won’t know it’s missing…Hopefully._

A record case was pushed up to his door, just in case David decided to come bursting in. Unlikely, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.

Getting comfy on his bed, Eli balled the shirt up and brought it to his nose. _Mmh, it smells much better than when it was clean._ His pj bottoms came off his hips, letting his erection loose. The hand cream was ready on his nightstand, and he slicked it over his shaft with practiced movements.

 _The smell is so strong…He must have slept in it. I wonder if he jerked off last night, wearing this_. Eli let out a blissful sigh, picturing David sweating and touching himself in bed. _You shouldn’t do that. You’ll get your clothes all dirty._ He rubbed the fabric against his face, hoping the scent would stick to his hair and transfer to his pillow.

“So dirty…” Under his whisper he became aware that he could hear his brother, struggling with a box up the stairs. Each time he cleared a step he panted, groaning when he lifted the box to the next step. _It sounds a bit like he’s about to come…_

Eli moved the t-shirt between his legs, covering his cock with it and using both hands to rub it through the material. It felt rough on his sensitive skin, but he didn’t mind. He conjured the image of David masturbating again, using his unwitting sound effects to make it more exhilarating.

 _Yeah…God, those noises! It’s almost like I’m really watching him!_ The scrapes on his palms started to burn, moving fast over the shirt. _Ahh, brother – are you letting me watch? It’s exciting, isn’t it! Don’t you think so too?_ David got to the top of the stairs, resolving to push the cargo the rest of the way.

 _I can hear you, my brother. You’re so close! “_ Mmmnhh!” He bit his lip and came, trying his hardest not to make a sound with David right outside. _Oh fuck, yes! Fuck!_ His toes curled into the soft duvet, dragging it as he parted his legs with the intensity of the orgasm.

The five seconds of pure ecstasy over, he let his tense body relax. His semen left a dark puddle on the t-shirt, and he smiled at it contently.


	4. Let's all go to the Park

David spent most of the morning skateboarding up and down the road, waiting for Eli to emerge from the house. He was interested to see where his brother went every day; it had to be more entertaining than sitting inside. _Come on already…hurry up, where are you?_

Now that his things had arrived, he had more variety in his wardrobe. He’d pre-emptively put on some swimming trunks under his shorts, just in case his suspicions that Eli was going to the lake were correct.

Turning back at the end of the road, he spotted his twin leaving the house and walking along the path. Eli saw him at once, and his scowl deepened.

“Morning!” David called as he rolled past, looping back to skate alongside him.

“You better not get on my fucking nerves today, Solid. Stay out of my way.”

“Of course.” As the blonde turned off the pavement to walk over a field, David got off his board to do the same. “Where we going?”

“ _We’re_ not going anywhere. Fuck off.” The friendly, kill-them-with-kindness approach was looking less and less likely to be successful. _Maybe if I stay quiet he won’t chase me away._ They trudged through the daisy-riddled grass, spooking grasshoppers that leaped quickly from their feet. There was so much open space, natural open space, and David loved it. “Please go back.”

The brunette was torn from his placid sightseeing by his brother’s uncharacteristically quiet voice.

“Hm?”

“Go back. To the house. Just…go do something else.” He didn’t sound pissed off for once, only fed up. Upon closer inspection, David saw that his body language had changed too. His shoulders were hunched under the straps of his pack, and he studied the ground as he went along. _Is he ok?_

Before he could ask the question out loud Eli spoke again, this time in a hiss. “Shit.” David followed his gaze to a playpark nestled in the field ahead, acting as a landmark for a path through the woods at its side. There were already some children chattering amongst the swings and rusty slide.

 _He was going to the park?_ “Don’t say a word, ok? And don’t fucking look at them, whatever you do.” Eli changed direction, aiming to curve away from the park and get to the wooded path. David followed the orders, made compliant by the serious tone. However, he was still curious to see what the problem was as they neared the park fence.

It turned out that the children weren’t children at all – they were grown lads, each no younger than 18. One that had been picking the flaky paint off a seesaw with a penknife noticed David looking over, and gave an amused cry.

“Hey, it’s the little girl!” The others fixed their eyes on the twins, grinning wide.

“Look, she’s brought her sister along with her!”

“Isn’t that sweet?”

“Hey! Hey cutie, why don’t you come and play with us?” The blue-eyed brother mimicked his sibling, keeping his head down and staying silent. “Aww, c’mon! Come over here and show us your _pussies!_ ” They burst out laughing, nudging each other and fiddling with their thin cigarettes. Luckily the snakes dipped past the trees moments after the last comment.

 _Pricks._ Of course there were equally hostile and abusive people in the city, but it didn’t make it any less irritating coming across them.

“…I don’t think we should walk back that way,” David mumbled once they were well into the woods. He kept checking behind him to see if they were being tailed.

“This is the only way in and out.”

“We should make a new one, then.” Wading through a few stinging nettles had to be worth avoiding them. “Does that happen a lot?”

“Eh. Most days they’re not there, but sometimes…”

“They’re real fuckin' rude, aren't they?”

“No shit,” Eli snorted.

“Why are we doing this again? We’re all alone if they decide to follow us…I think they had a knife!”

“They won’t; they chased me once for answering back, but that’s all. And I _did_ tell you to go home.”

“How long have they been saying…those things to you?”

“Look, can we just drop it? I don’t want to talk about it!” David sealed his mouth again. He didn’t fancy going back on his own.

All around them life seemed to pour from every available space, encroaching on the beaten track and tying a canopy over their heads. _What a lovely place._ Forests were high on the list of his preferred places, right under snow. Snowball fights were always a favourite of his, because they didn’t require a lot of anything but throwing and ducking.

“How long have you lived here?” He still didn’t know what his sibling’s life had been like before they met. There hadn’t been a chance to ask all the questions he had wanted to, no _good_ chance.

“…Three years.” _Finally, a proper answer!_

“Where were you before that?”

“Does it matter?” _Tread carefully._

“Not really. You have an accent, though, so I was just wondering -”

“- Is this a fucking interrogation now?” _Ughhhh..._

The absence of their common enemy had extinguished the sense of kinship very quickly. Even then, David couldn’t be sure Eli had felt it too. _I still don’t really know a thing about him…Brothers are always so friendly on TV! I suppose I could let him know about me first – that might make it easier._

“You can interrogate me, if you want. I mean, ask me questions.”

“Ok: do you ever shut up?” _Well, I walked right into that one._ Now he really wanted Eli to start answering him; something must have happened to make him so grumpy all the time.

“Alright…we can make a game out of it.”

“Out of what?”

“I’ll say something about me, and you say something about you. Kinda like truth or dare.”

“Why in God’s name would I agree to something so _dull?_ ” David sighed, finally giving up on the matter for the moment. There was no point in subjecting himself to the insults on purpose. He was only putting up with it in the hopes that his patience would earn him the close sibling relationship he had always desired. If it didn’t work he’d be stuck living with an antagonistic twin, and he would much rather be stuck with an amiable one.

Without any warning, Eli took a sharp turn at a tree with a wiggle cut into the dry bark. Concentrating more on his surroundings, David had almost bumped into the trunk. _I bet that would make his day._ Having his eyes closer to the tree, he noticed that the wiggle had a face and a forked tongue.  _It’s a snake! Did Eli do that? Wait, where’d he go?_

“Eli?”

“What now?” A gold head poked up from the ground, grimacing at him through the flora. He had skidded down a bank by a small brook, which the brunette would have fallen down in his lack of attention. Giving his previously clean shoes an apology, he used them to slide on the dusty sill.

In the few seconds it took him to reach the sandy shore of the stream, Eli had settled himself into a little alcove dug into the side of the bank. Rustling around in his pack, he pulled out a notebook and a pencil. “Go find something to do, then.”

“Huh? Aren’t you…gonna go to the lake?”

“It’s that way if you want to go,” he jabbed the pencil in the direction the stream was running.

“What are you doing?” _He came all this way to write?_

“…Homework.”

“Why didn’t you just do it at home? Then you wouldn’t have to -”

“- Stop fucking nattering on, would you? I’m here just because, so shut up and piss off.” The nasty attitude was having a snowballing effect on David’s capacity to endure the abuse. If any other kid had been treating him like that he would have already beat them down. _Don’t let it get to you._

Being rudely dismissed, the dark haired clone felt at a loss for what to do. Going swimming didn’t sound as fun on his own, and he didn’t really trust the other to wait for him so they could walk home together. Feeling stranded with his twin, he sat against the bank to wait out his sentence. Eli didn’t look too impressed that he had taken up root in his peripheries, but he didn’t object verbally.

 _Homework. Who the hell goes into the woods to do homework? God, he’s backward_. David wasn’t even sure it was a lie – what else would absolutely require that trip in order to be written down? He suspected it was a diary and Eli was embarrassed about keeping it, but he could just as easily hide it in his room. _What would he even write about?_

~

Liquid Snake took hours to complete whatever it was he was doing in his notebook. During that time his twin amused himself by paddling barefoot in the stream and climbing each of the trees in the surrounding area. It was nice to finally get outdoors, but he thought he would have had more fun in front of the TV.

The blonde announced their departure by throwing a pebble at him, and together they journeyed back through the darkness of the wood. Sunset was closing in, showing the first hints of dusk in the long shadows. David was pleased when they came back to the field; it was a lot less welcoming among the trees at that time of day.

“Well, well, well! If it isn’t the sweet lil’ duo we spoke to earlier!” The group of adolescents were still occupying the playsets. As they had before, the brothers lowered their heads and kept on walking.

“Don’t be shy! We just wanna talk to ya!” Stubbing out his cigarette on the roundabout, one of the older boys got up and vaulted the park fence, placing himself in the snake’s way. His friends all followed suit. “ _Hey._ I’m talking to you, why don’t you show a little respect?”

Eli gave him a look of indifference, sidestepping causally around him. David stuck close to him, eyeing the circle that had formed around them. They were outnumbered, two to five. “UH – where do you think you’re going?” an arm herded the twins back to the centre of the prowling young men. “I’m talking. I expect you to answer.”

“We’re going home,” David said, missing the eye roll Eli gave beside him.

“Home? Home, ok.”

“It’s a shame, we were hoping you could hang with us for a while.” The speaker reached out to touch the blonde’s hair, and was instantly swatted away.

“Don’t touch me.”

“OOOOH!”

“Ooh, you’re a feisty one, aren’tcha?”

“ _Fuck off_ , our Dad is waiting for us – he’ll probably be here any second now that we’re late.” Eli recited a practiced warning, hoping they didn’t spot the lie. He wasn’t so fortunate.

“Is he, now?”

“Yeah, so you better fucking leave us alone!”

“You have a dirty mouth, little whore.”

“Maybe I’ve been spending too much time with your mother, then.” David had never heard such an English way of using the insult, but it had the same effect. Eli received a swift punch to the face, reopening some of the small cuts his fall had given him. He managed to stay on his feet, using the momentum to swing round and drive his fist into another one of the unsuspecting lads.

His retaliation sparked something in the young men, and they all dove to tackle the twins to the ground. Neither of them went down, so they were suspended and left to kick out blindly to protect themselves. David felt his feet connect with a yielding nose, planting his shoe down hard on the same spot twice more.

“AHHH! You CUNT!” The now flat-faced attacker grabbed his leg, twisting him so hard that the other lad holding onto him lost his grip and let him drop to the ground. They knelt on his back and calves, pinning him under their weight.

Eli landed a kick on the back of one of their heads, his other three limbs being restrained by the other three assailants. His sharp eye espied the penknife glinting in the fading light. Using the panicked strength given to him by a rush of adrenaline, he wrested an arm free and launched himself toward the knife.

He had something the young man wielding it (or any of them, for that matter) didn’t have – experience. Taking the tiny weapon from him was almost too easy, as was darting it up to sink above his collarbone. In a quick movement he sliced it upward diagonally, leaving a deep two inch gash that expelled blood at an alarming rate.

Still focussed on wrestling the brothers, none of the adolescents noticed anything was amiss until the one kneeling on David’s back got a mouthful of blood. At first he only made a startled groan, which evolved into a hysterical yelling that finally got everyone’s attention.

The twins were discarded in favour of watching the injured boy choke and convulse.

“H-elp,” he gargled, his breath bubbling from the unnatural hole in his windpipe. “H-he-ug _hgg_ uhh.” Giving a crackling wheeze, he crumpled onto the crimson grass and let the hands that had been clawing at the slippery wound go limp.

“…Fuck! DO something! Guys, do something!” Despite accidentally swallowing some of his friend’s blood, the young man quickly found his voice. “Fucking do something!”

“Is he-?”

“He’s _dead!_ He’s fucking _dead_ , you killed him!” All eyes turned to Eli, who brandished the knife unashamedly. “- Murderer! _You_ – he’s dead!”

“Yeah, I fucking did it; and you’re gonna be next cunt, unless you crawl back into whatever hole you were _shat_ out of.” The penknife sliced inches from the lad’s face, prompting him to roll away and scurry off. His friends lingered only a few seconds longer themselves, recovering from a fit of vomiting or trying to hold one back.

Eli sheathed and pocketed the blade, helping a very subdued David to his feet.


	5. Butterflies

Eli sheathed and pocketed the blade, helping a very subdued David to his feet. The brunette shrugged his shoulders against the shirt sticking to his back – he had been directly underneath the fountain of blood, and it had soaked him through.

“Eli…what did you do?”

“Don’t start.” He collected the backpack and skateboard, both of which had miraculously survived the scuffle unscathed, and handed the latter item back over.

“That knife…”

“Doesn’t exist anymore. Don’t stare at him, we have to go.”

“Go? I don’t – we have to tell someone what happened!”

“Tell? _Tell?!_ Oh, what a _brilliant_ idea, brother! I’m sure prison will be an absolute riot!”

“So you’re gonna fucking lie?”

The fair snake grabbed onto his arm, yanking him closer to emphasise his point.

“That is _exactly_ what we’re both going to do. Let’s just get home and clean up.” David pulled his arm back roughly.

“I -”

“- It was his life or yours, David! So stop bitching about it and hurry the fuck up!” he took off over the grass, not sparing a backward glance.

~

At the house, Eli halted his twin before the veranda steps.

“Don’t go straight in. I’ll get a bag for us to dump our clothes in, then you can wash up while I hide them and the knife.”

“Lying is gonna make it worse, the police will find out what happened!” He was ignored, left to stand alone in the garden and wait. _This is so fucked…there’s no way he can get out of this, it’s...it_ was _self-defence, but it will look more suspicious if he tries to cover it up. We should tell the truth, and plead self-defence. Eli’s right, that guy was gonna stab me! And he killed him…_

He was a lot less bothered about it than he expected. Of course he wasn’t happy, not by any stretch of the imagination, but at least he was still alive. If anything, he was more worried about what would happen to him than what had happened to his attacker. His brother had killed someone to save him. _Maybe he doesn’t hate me as much as I thought._

“Here, put your shirt in this.” Eli returned with a plastic bag hooked on clean hands. The t-shirt was heavy and stank of copper, dripping even more blood over his hair and back as he dragged it over his head. “Alright, go take a shower. And _don’t touch anything_.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“Just stop worrying about it, ok? I’ll sort it out, you just...stop worrying.”

Holding his red hands up, David ascended the stairs in his socks. His shoes had been put in the bag too. _‘Stop worrying’ he says. How? I hope he knows I’ll get in trouble for lying, too!_ Using his elbows, he turned the spokes on the tap and climbed right under the hot spray still in his trousers. Eli had insisted he leave them on the floor of the shower, lest they create a speck of evidence somewhere unseen.

It felt good to rinse the sticky mess away. The water swirled down the plughole pink. Now that the initial excitement had died away, he could feel the tender spots on his body that would soon start to bruise. David presumed that the stinging he could feel were cuts, concealed by the cleaning water.

He decided to change into his pyjamas for the night. It was still early, but there was no point in putting clothes on if he was staying inside.

“Eli?” David’s little search ended in the kitchen. His brother was at the sink, pouring something over his knuckles. A well-supplied first aid kit had been emptied onto the island counter behind him.

“Hm. You took your time.” By the looks of it the blonde had already showered himself. There was a red mark where he had been punched. “You’re bleeding. Use the stuff there.” David looked over the medical material, but he ended up using his fingers to feel out where exactly he was bleeding from. “There,” his sibling pointed to the spot, getting frustrated when David still couldn’t find it. “ _There._ Ugh just – come here, I’ll do it.”

Eli brought the disinfectant to the counter, pressing a cotton ball to the bottle and tipping it up. The cotton stung sharply on the wound, making him wince.

“ _Ah_ , what is that, acid?”

“Don’t be a baby. Keep your bloody head still.” A hand locked his chin in place while the ball was dabbed over the split skin. “You’re so useless. Have you ever been in a fight before?”

“A few.” It had been much more than a few, but David wasn’t sure if they were violent enough to be considered fights is his brother’s eyes; Eli had just stabbed someone.

“How many excluding pillow fights?”

“Fuck off.” The cotton was discarded and his head was tilted to grant a better look at the damage.

“It’s quite deep…”

“Yeah, I get that a lot.” That joke would have choked the other children with laughter in the city, but Eli didn’t seem amused at all. He drew away from David as though he had burnt him and busied himself at the island. _Does he not get it?_

“Here. You’ll need this,” he turned back with a butterfly closure, pulling it tight until it pinched his skin shut.

“Thanks. For, uh, stopping that guy…You really saved my ass there.”

“Did you think I’d let him kill you? That’s my job.”

“Haha-ow!” the laughter tugged at the closure on his cheek, threatening to rip it off.

“Dummy,” Eli mumbled, pulling another from the box. Despite the quiet name-calling, he was smiling too.

The kitchen light sparkled off of something David hadn’t noticed before – with his hair tucked back, he could see a diamond stud piercing in his left ear. _How didn’t I see that?_ What else could he have missed, if he couldn’t spot something so obvious?

While the second closure was being fastened, he took the opportunity to study his twin’s face a little closer. He had a few faded scars here and there, much more than normal for someone of his age. Again the curiosity at what had happened in his life before rose up. Why so many scars? Under his lashes he spotted something else.

“Your eyes are green.” He’d thought they had been blue, until he saw them up close and proper. Eli shied away again, scooping the scattered supplies back into the first aid box.

“Yeah, and?”

“And nothing. I was just sayin’.”

~

They sat waiting patiently on the sofa for their father to arrive. Eli had called him after they had cleaned up, shooing the brunette away from eavesdropping on the exchange. Judging by the ashen face he wore coming into the living room, their sire was every bit as mad as one would expect.

It took Snake an hour and a half to get home. He came in without announcing himself as usual, and barked out Eli’s name.

“In here,” his son replied timidly, both of the twins turning to look over the back of the sofa and ducking slightly as if it would protect them. Snake wasn’t carrying any rifles on his shoulders as he thumped to the living room, giving the boys an icy stare.

“David.” At the sound of his voice they cowered even more.

“…Y-yeah?”

“Go to your room.” _My room? What about Eli?_ He didn’t make his father repeat himself, sliding off the settee and giving him a wide berth on the way to the stairs. Glancing back he saw Eli watching him go meekly.

David had no idea what was in store for his brother. He’d never witnessed his father doling out discipline, but he wouldn’t be at all surprised if the blonde got a wallop for something as serious as murder, self-defence or no.

Snake was extremely intimidating too…Would he _beat_ Eli for it? _No, that would be child abuse. He wouldn’t do that…but he_ does _act strange for a parent. He leaves us home alone for over a day, he doesn’t ever cook for us or…spend any time with us. That doesn’t mean he’d go that far though, right?_

From his bedroom he could hear Snake shouting. The words were unintelligible, but the anger behind them was clear as day. David had watched his twin kill another human that same evening and yet he felt sorry for him, being told off. That wasn’t even the worst part; Eli still had to answer to the law! What would he do all day, alone in the great big house, if Eli was sent away?

The stack of comics among his belongings was sorted through to pass the time. Whenever he focused on the colourful pages his mind wandered back to the events of the day. Those guys yelling at them, going into the woods with his sibling, getting attacked. Eli stabbing that guy to save him. _He must care about me at least a tiny little bit._ Although the circumstances were less than desirable, that fact made him happier than he had felt since he landed in Cali. Probably even before then.

While re-reading the busy page of the thin book for the eighth time, his attention was brought to the front door slamming and footsteps on the second floor landing. Not bothering to save the page, he got up from his bed to poke past the door. Eli was coming up, his face veiled by his wavy hair.

“Eli?” His brother started at the whispered question, but he didn’t stop in his ascent. “You ok?” David stepped out of the room to block his entrance to his own. He was anxious to hear what had happened regarding where things went from there.

“I’m fine. Out of the way,” Liquid muttered thickly.

“You don’t seem fine to me.” Underneath the bulb in the loft he could see red welts on his arms that hadn’t been there after the fight.

“Move.” The hand that tried to brush the hair from his face was dodged.

“What did he do to you?” he asked softly. Liquid had been shivering since he came into view. _Has he been beating him?_ It certainly seemed that way. _Has this happened before?_ He envisaged his twin’s three years of living there, on his own with an abusive parent.

David stepped forward to wrap his arms around him, somehow without being pushed away or shouted at. Eli didn’t reciprocate, but he did rest his head on his shoulder. The brunette wanted to say something reassuring that didn’t sound like a lie, and pulled up nothing but blanks.

Instead he let go, ushering him into his room. “You can stay with me tonight, if you want.” It wasn’t much, but he hoped it would be comforting for Eli to know he was welcome. What else could he really do? To his surprise the blonde went over to lie down on his bed, accepting the invitation wordlessly. _Hm. Kinda thought he wouldn’t want to. I guess we’re going to sleep, then…_

Solid picked the comics up and dumped them on his desk, hovering uncertainly for a moment. “Um, you can get under the covers yaknow.” He watched him settle under the duvet, and went to do the same after switching the light off. The bed was a narrow double, giving them enough space to lie side by side. They chose back to back. “Goodnight.”

~

David was woken up deep in the night by his brother. He could hear him sniffling into the pillow next to him, trying his hardest to be silent. _Poor Eli. Should I say something?_

“Mmmh ~” _…That didn’t sound much like crying_. Listening closer, he began to distinguish the noises better. Eli wasn’t sobbing, he was _panting_. “Mh, mmh ~” _Is he…? No, he can’t be…_ The green-eyed snake rubbed his head deeper into the pillow, letting out a muffled sigh. _I-is he beating off_? If he concentrated he could feel Eli’s arm shaking the bed gently.

 _He_ is _, I can’t believe it! That’s so yucky!_ _B-but he’s on_ my _bed! He – I - am I dreaming?_ It was suddenly far too hot under the duvet. In spite of his alarm he was scarily, incredibly aroused. As a fifteen year old the most pornographic thing he had ever witnessed (other than rubbing one out himself, which he was very fond of) was someone getting a peck on the cheek; and now he was almost touching his masturbating twin.

 _Don’t listen! Go away!_ he told his erection, squeezing his legs to relieve some of the pressure. _No, what’s the matter with me? It’s_ Eli _, it’s_ Eli _, I shouldn’t be so…_ What was the word he was looking for? Hard? Bad? Electrified? And to think, he had been considering giving him a hug again when he thought he had been crying. _Eli wouldn’t be too happy with that while he’s trying to get off._

As the stifled whimpers increased the pulsating thrumming in his gut went from irritating to overwhelming, drawing his hand like an industrial magnet. _Would he notice if I do it too? No, I can’t! It’s so dirty, why am I even considering it?! But I NEED it, God I think I’m gonna fucking explode!_

Eli sucked his breath in, tensing up and letting it out in a quiet groan. A bolt of lightning hit David between his legs, a hair’s breadth from bringing him over the edge. _He came. He really actually came, in my bed – with me right here! Why did he do that, couldn’t it just wait until morning?_

Eli levelled his breathing and drifted off, his itch nicely scratched. David's hard-on didn’t flag now that the show was over. _Well…it looks like_ I’ll _have to wait till morning now._


	6. Snooping

The twins were woken up by their father shouting up to the loft.

“ELI! You’ve got ten minutes!” Liquid was up like a shot, disappearing from his sibling’s room. David dug himself out of the covers that had been flung onto him. _Ten minutes for what?_ He got the chance to ask the question when Eli returned a few minutes later to collect the sock that had come off the previous night. Seeing it reminded the brunette of what he had heard – he must have used the sock to _collect the evidence_ , as it were.

“Ten minutes for what?”

“I have to go with Dad today. He said he wants to ‘keep an eye on me’.”

“What? What about…yaknow, what you did?”

“I didn’t do anything. It never happened.”

“Is that what he told you to say?”

“No, that’s just how it is.” Catching the complete incomprehension on his face, Eli decided to elaborate. “Dad is quite…friendly with the law enforcement in this town. Well, he didn’t move here for the clean air, did he? This wouldn’t be the first time he paid them to overlook a little _incident_.”

“He paid them to lie? The police?”

“Duh. It doesn’t come cheap, but the people here practically work for him. I’m pretty sure a few of them actually did at one point.”

“H-how are they gonna cover this up?”

“Ugh, I don’t have time to talk, can’t this wait?”

“No.” There seemed to be a pattern emerging of him being the last to know anything.

“Fucking I dunno, I don’t get invited to the corrupt meetings! They’re probably going to frame those other guys. Plant some evidence, get some false witnesses. Easy.” _Easy? So it’s over, just like that. Because he has money he can get away with killing someone? That’s not right! It's not like I_ want _him to get caught_ _…but still…_

Eli interrupted his train of thought impatiently. “Look, I really have to go. I’ll be back tonight – I think.” And then he was gone. David followed him to the loft landing, watching him hurry downstairs to meet Snake. The sound of the front door heralded a day of zero human interaction, save for the brief talk with his brother. _Just me, then. Ok._

~

With the house to himself, David decided to do some more exploring. The inspection he conducted on his first day had been cursory; he had only looked into the rooms for a peek. He had an opportunity to do a more thorough search, but he didn’t think there would be much to see.

Most of the rooms were empty, with plain furniture and stripped beds collecting dust in peace. There were no decorations anywhere either – no paintings, pictures, ornaments, potted plants or even fridge magnets. In his experience, houses had at least a few pictures of friends and family in them. It was as though no one really lived there.

The shed at the bottom of the garden appeared to be the best source of entertainment, so he started with that. A thick padlock guarded the bolt, but he found the key under a not-so-inconspicuous rock by the door. _Very well hidden. No one would ever think to look there!_

David wasn’t the biggest fan of spiders, so he scanned each of the corners before stepping in. He wasn’t afraid of them, he just hated the thought of one running over him with its spindly feet. Inside was (at first glance) spiderless and neat. It was full of stuff, but the clutter had been sorted.

A lot of it was metal boxes with different things stencilled on the sides. _Probably got more weapons in there_. He recognised the winged skull of his father’s organisation, and that was it. The rest were alien to him. There was a dog’s head and the initials ‘D.D.’, another cracked skull with faded writing underneath and a goofy cartoon fox firing a gun. At the back he even thought he spied a Soviet Army case.

His theory about the contents of the boxes was confirmed when he flicked up the stiff catches to look inside. It was packed with hand grenades, each nestled into a cut-out of foam. He wanted to pick one up, but he could imagine himself accidentally pulling the pin. _Maybe some other time._

In a ‘D.D.’ case he spied an assault rifle, and had no qualms in wresting it from the foam housing.

“Cool.” He placed the strap over his shoulder and checked his reflection in the window. _Nice_. A camouflage helmet hanging on the wall was added to the ensemble. _Huh, it kinda suits me! I should get a job like my father_.

From a netting pocket in the open box he pulled a folded piece of glossy paper. Struggling to keep the big helmet from covering his eyes, he unfurled it bit by bit. As the image was revealed he giggled. _It’s my dad!_ Snake’s face was painted on the poster in black and white, between bold yellow letters. “‘Is watching’…no, ‘Big Boss is watching you’.”

 _Big Boss? What?_ David looked from the obvious rendition of his sire’s face to the words Big Boss, a cold sweat gathering on his back. “No…no _fucking_ way! _Ho_ -ly SHIT!” _Snake is Big Boss? The person whose house I’m in, right now? What…the fuck?!_ He felt dizzy with the revelation.

Now that he thought about it, it made some sense. He was a mercenary, Eli laughed at him when he asked if he was important. The eyepatch, the codename SNAKE. “Oh my God.” _What the fuck is he doing living in a small town in California? Shouldn’t he be, like…at war or something?_

 _I think he’s made a mistake. There’s no way I’m related to Big Boss! (You can’t deny how similar you look, you_ and _Eli). There’s no way…His kids should be some kind of crazy warriors, I’m just – just_ me _. (Eli’s a good fighter, though). I don’t get it. M-maybe this poster is a joke. Yeah, it must be._ He packed the gun and helmet away quietly, keeping the poster to question his twin with later. _He’ll tell me what this is about._

The house felt different as he walked through it. If he had to picture Big Boss’ house, he’d imagine a dark fortress with barbed wire and patrolling soldiers, far from the suburbs or any hint of civilisation. Although his father’s identity hadn’t yet been confirmed, David felt like he’d been made privy to an enormous secret.

If it was true (as the minutes went by be believed it more and more – the evidence was there, how could he deny it?) then he had actually met the legend himself. Not just that, but he was living with him. He was his son. David wished he was back in the city, just so he could make the other children implode with jealousy and awe. They would bow at his feet and beg him to be their friend, a far cry from how it had been before. He would be like royalty in the group home.

Snapping from his fantasy, he found himself loitering in the kitchen. The rest of the house wasn’t good enough now, he wanted to see his father’s bedroom. He knew where it was, he had just never been in because Snake told him it was off limits. _But he’s not here right now, is he?_

Although he knew he was still alone, he tiptoed along to the second floor and down the hall to the door in question. Without any windows the corridor was dark, making the mission feel even more dangerous. _What if the door is alarmed? If he comes back and knows I’ve been in there, he’s sure to hit me too!_

David paused at the unassuming room with this in mind. Suddenly the idea was less appealing. _He’ll be so disappointed that I disobeyed him! I don’t want him to be mad at me…I want him to think I’m a great son. I_ am _a great son; I have to be, you don’t get a replacement of your real family! Father, I can make you proud. You told me not to go in, so I’m not going in._

The sense of accomplishment at marching away lasted for a minute before he was plain bored again. _Ugh, being good is so dull! All these rooms are empty anyway…_

 _Except for Eli’s. I’ve never been in his room before, either. I bet he’s got some interesting stuff there – why didn’t I think of it before!_ His twin was away with their father, equally as helpless to David’s nosing. _This is gonna be fun!_

~

Opening Eli’s door was like unwrapping a gift. Impatient to soak it all up, he didn’t waste any time barging right in. As he might have expected, the room was a mess. The bed was unmade, the blind was drawn, there were things left lying on the floor. It smelled a bit too, of male musk that needed airing out. All in all, the complete opposite of his own bedroom.

David opened the blind to let the bright sun in so he could begin digging through the stuff more thoroughly. _There’s so much, where do I start?_ The most obvious place was the backpack left on the bed, the same one Eli had been wearing yesterday on the day of the Not Incident. _The notebook must be in there! Hehe, let’s see what he was writing, shall we?_

Ignoring the dried blood, he pulled the zips apart and tipped the bag up. It took a few shakes to get the notebook out, followed by a few pencils and a water bottle. Nothing too uncommon, but the real entertainment was in the book.

He picked it up with a grin and turned to the front page. ‘LIQUID’S, FUCK OFF’ was scrawled there above a doodle of a snake. _Ok, next page._ David was surprised by what he found there – not words but drawings. And good ones, too.

The second page had a cat, sitting next to a speech bubble that read ‘You are what you eat’. _Wow, that’s actually pretty good. This isn’t a diary, it’s a sketchbook!_ Flicking through more observations of the neighbourhood animals, he came to the first picture of a human. It was Snake, smoking a cigar on a sofa. _He must have drawn him watching the TV. This is amazing, I had no idea Eli could do this!_

Their father featured frequently among the following pages, surrounded by dark scribbles where the blonde had made a mistake and half-assed squiggles of random animals and household items. David came across the likeness of someone he guessed was Snake as a young man. He looked just like himself, but older. _Must be a copy of an old photograph or something._

The same person came up more in the following pages, appearing topless more often than not. _Why would Eli want to draw that?_ “‘George let me buy sweets at the shop today…I told him he was my favourite brother, and he laughed.’ We have another brother?”

A few of the pages after were torn out, and soon their sibling stopped being drawn. The book went back to being birds and snakes and houses again. David recognised the tree by the stream they had gone to. _He’s got the bank and the water here too. So he was walking there each day to draw?_

Among the scenery he spotted himself, hiding in the branches of a tree. _He drew me too! I didn’t know he was even looking at me._ Leafing to the next side it became clear that Eli had been looking at him much more than he had realised. The two pages were nothing but him: David walking in the stream, David sitting on the sand, David smiling at his twin.

 _Woah…he must have been watching me all day. He’s got so much detail in there._ The brunette hadn’t paid anywhere near as much attention to Eli’s face – he didn’t even see the scars or the obvious earring there at all until he was right up close. David felt strangely uncomfortable thinking about Eli studying him so intently. He stuffed the sketchbook back into the bag and continued his search.

Stepping carefully over shoes and dishes and discarded garments, he made it to the chest of drawers against the wall. _Clothes, clothes, clothes…Dunno what I was expecting._ Banging the stiff drawers back, he set his sights on the nightstand.

In the top drawer he found much more interesting things. There was a bottle of lubricant, a handful of toilet roll, empty sweet wrappers and a hairbrush. He puzzled over the brush for a moment. _Eli has one on the nightstand, why does he have this one here?_ The one on the stand had some strands of golden hair between the bristles, but the one in the drawer looked as though it had never been used to brush his hair. _Must be a spare._

David was tempted to take the lube for himself; he had been using his spit since he had got to the house and it just wasn’t the same. If he stole it then Eli would know he’d been in his room, so he let it be. The bed was his next target, perhaps there were some dirty magazines under the mattress.

The mattress was bare underneath. _Hmph. Nothing at all? Shame._ Dropping the mattress, he saw a familiar colour under the pillow. Curious, he reached forward to pull his own t-shirt from under it. _My shirt? What the hell is it doing in Eli’s bed?!_

As he lifted it the fabric stuck together, and he pulled it apart with a twist in his gut. _This is…Is this jizz? Wha- Eli’s been cumming on my shirt?_ There was no mistaking what had crusted the material. _That’s so (that’ssosofuckinghot) weird, why did he…?_

To confuse him even more, his body decided it was time to get a massive erection. _He must have taken this from my room. He’s cum all over it, I don’t get it! Why_ my _shirt, I’m his twin! (Maybe he wants to cum on_ me _) No, he can’t, we’re – we’re –_ The distraction in his underwear begged to be touched, and David put the shirt back to grant its wish.

He had barely stepped under the shower before his arm got to work. Confusion weaved through his arousal, bringing up the question of his own sexuality for the millionth time since hitting puberty. _Oh Eli, why are you doing this to me? You act like you hate me, then you do that to my t-shirt…and touch yourself in my bed…and draw me in that book. What is it supposed to mean?_

Imagining Eli with his clothing made his groin burn. _He must have been thinking of me while he did it, at least a little bit. It is mine, after all. Last night, did you want me to hear you? Did you want me to wake up and touch you?_ “Ah, yeah…” His words were masked by the spray of water.

 _If you sleep in my bed and do it again, I’ll touch you…Would you like that? Maybe you’ll even do it back. I won’t tell anybody._ “Fuck…ah, _fuck!_ ” David braced himself on the tiles with one hand and tugged himself through his orgasm with the other. _Fuck…_

In the height of his excitement he had accidentally burdened himself with an unignorable temptation. Now he couldn’t rest until he had some excuse to put his hands on his twin.


	7. Duckies

Eli was glad to be heading home. To spend time with his father was something he would pine for constantly, but being hauled away just to be ignored in a different location wasn’t quite what he had had in mind. Snake barely said two words to him the entire time, he had even dumped the blonde for someone else to look after him.

This form of punishment hurt much more than simply being left at home – even after being dragged to the Outer Heaven vessel on the Atlantic, his sire continued to act as though he didn’t exist. Eli felt the barnacles got more attention from the Boss than his own son did. When Snake had come to collect him he turned on the waterworks and begged for his forgiveness. His father had always been a sucker for tears; he didn’t seem to realise his son wasn’t five anymore.

Eli got put on a helicopter back to California with some new bruises and the usual pat on the head. The bruises weren’t given to him on purpose, Snake also just didn’t realise how much he needed to reign in his own strength when handling his kid. A purple handprint on his arm from being lifted into the chopper was the only souvenir Eli got for the long journey home.

~

Falling asleep had proven to be near impossible. David had tossed and turned late into the night, unable to keep his thoughts off of his twin and the discoveries he had made in his room. When he woke he was still alone. He moped and paced all morning, impatient for his brother’s return. _Where is he?_

As David counted down each painful second he tried to figure out exactly what he wanted from Eli. If he did stay in his bed again that night and masturbated, the brunette was sure he’d be too chicken to join in.

There was always the possibility that Eli would freak out over it. He couldn’t be 100% certain that his findings meant what he thought they did. In the event that his brother wasn’t into it he would never, ever get a chance to explain himself or rectify his mistake.

He would be avoided and hated – Eli might even tell their father and get him sent back to a home! Who was Snake more likely to believe: the son that had lived with him for three whole years or the son that had lived with him for five days? _Has it really only been that long? This has been the most insane five days ever. Ugh, it’s too risky, I can’t do it! If he does – if it is the way I think it is, I should wait for him to make the first move. That is, if he ever does…_

David’s anxiety was so much that he had even forgotten to eat breakfast in favour of fidgeting from one end of the house to the other (it didn’t bother him that much though, it just gave him an excuse to eat more candy at lunch). _C’mon, hurry up! If I have to wait any more I might go mad._

~

It was dusk by the time Liquid Snake made it back from the lonely walk from the designated landing zone outside of town, although a quiet field made for a shoddy helipad in his opinion. But, as long as it served the purpose of letting Snake’s aerial comings and goings go unnoticed, it was worthwhile.

He hoped he’d get a second to breathe before David descended upon him and bombarded him with questions. That being said, he was looking forward to seeing him again. Getting comforted after a thrashing wasn’t something he was familiar with, and he decided he quite liked it.

It was nice to have someone on _his_ side for once; Solidus was always siding with their dad like the Perfect Son™ he was. In that sense having his self-righteous older brother away in Liberia to participate in the rising tension there was something of a relief, as much as he missed him…and the habit of walking around naked that he had. And the fact that his bed was perfectly lined up with the keyhole that Eli used to spy on him beating off through. Mostly the last two things.

He got his wish for peace when he wasn’t immediately greeted by his twin, and was disappointed by it.

“I’m home!” He’d never had to announce his arrival before, no one else usually bothered to. “…Hello? Brother!” _Shit, did something happen while we were away?_ “Hello!” Eli climbed the stairs in a hurry, getting more panicked as the silence went on.

“Hello.” David appeared from his bedroom, wearing his usual sweet smile. _Fucking Hell_. The blonde had been picturing him packing up his bags and running off, having discovered the absolute mess that was his biological family.

“Why didn’t you answer me sooner?!”

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you. Something wrong?”

“No, of course not,” he pouted, stomping his way up to the loft. David stopped him before he got to his own door.

“Hey, are you ok? Was it…alright, going with him?” Having someone so concerned about his feelings was another thing he wasn’t familiar with. He wondered what David would do if he said no – would he be upset too, and give him another hug?

“It was fine. I was on my own there, anyway.”

“Oh, that’s good.” They stood awkwardly on the landing, neither of them finding anything to say.

“…Um…Goodnight, I guess.”

“Wait!” Eli jumped at the sudden outburst, whipping back to face him. “I, uh – you can stay in my room again, if you want. I mean, you can stay there whenever, it’s not a problem or anything. If you want.” There was something odd about the way it had been offered, but Eli couldn’t focus on it over his surprise. He had to refrain from the extremely enthusiastic YES that threatened to burst out, using all his control to be nonchalant.

“That’s very kind of you, brother. I’ll go get changed.” Once in his room he gave the ceiling a soundless celebratory ‘yes!’, while David did the same in his own. Sleeping in with David had been the biggest treat he had ever had, bar none. Pleasuring himself so close to his twin that they were almost touching was a kind of thrill that couldn’t be emulated. The added risk that he might wake up made it even better, though he would have died if he had got caught.

He fished out the least threadbare pair of pyjamas from the depths of his overflowing closet, trying to juggle pulling them on and brushing his hair to save time.

It was too hot that time of year to sleep in long clothes, so he had to wear matching shorts and a shirt made of thin blue material. The cute yellow ducks on the pjs underlined the fact that his father had picked them out for him (at George’s insistence, he later found out), and were the same reason they were worn the least.

Why anyone would even make them large enough to fit someone of his age was beyond him. They were the only pair that weren’t covered in holes or in desperate need of a wash, so they would have to do.

David was already dressed for bed when he came in, attempting to concentrate on the book in his lap. It was brought up to hide his grin when he caught sight of what Eli was wearing. The book wasn’t as useful in disguising his barely contained sniggering. “Don’t laugh, this was the only thing left!”

“No, I like it. It suits you.”

“Hmph,” Eli pouted again, rounding the bed to get under the covers. David snorted when he noticed the ducks’ happy faces, bursting the dam and leaving him in a fit of laughter. “It’s not funny!” He was starting to wish he’d picked something else, even though it would have been smelly and unflattering. Then again, ducks weren’t particularly becoming.

The brunette nodded to communicate that he disagreed through his giggles. “Stop laughing!”

“N-no, I can’t! Ha ha, you look- _hahaha!_ ” Eli debated whether or not to storm out and stay in his own room, but decided that hiding under the duvet grumpily was enough. “I’m sorr _hehehe!_ I’m sorry, I can’t help it!” As soon as it died away it started up again. “No, it’s ok, I’m done now. Hehe, I’m done.”

David lifted the duvet from Eli’s head carefully. “Eli ~? I’m sorry.” The covers were yanked back down again. “C’mon, don’t be like that. I was just surprised, that’s all…You’re not actually mad, are you?” He sounded worried enough to appease the blonde, who stuck his head back out to accept the apology.

“Is this how you treat a guest, then?”

“No. I wasn’t expecting it, that’s all. You look so cute!” Eli pulled the quilt back up to cover his red face at the compliment.

“Whatever.” The book was tossed away and the light turned out so that they could settle down. They lay back to back again, whispering to each other despite being the only ones in the house. David’s topics of conversation were quickly exhausted.

“What kind of music do you like?”

“The music I listen to.”

“What kind of books do you like?”

“I fucking hate reading.” George being a snooty bookworm had really put him off the pastime.

“Even comics?”

“Yeah.”

“Ok…what about TV?”

“I like the animal ones.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, I like to watch them eat each other. Some programs let you see all the guts and stuff.” _Typical Eli_ , David thought.

Liquid let himself relax and float into sleep, surrounded by the heavenly smell of his twin.

~

Solid jolted awake at every little noise, listening attentively for any hint of activity next to him. His brother just kept snoring lightly, snuggled into his bedding like an animal in adorable pyjamas. _I wasn’t expecting him to even own something like that. Surprised he hasn’t set it on fire or something._

Getting back to sleep was difficult when Eli would wriggle and kick every few minutes, knocking him back into consciousness. As he would slip under a twitching foot would catch his leg, or the blonde would mutter something in his dreams. Normally it wouldn’t be enough to keep him up, but he felt very on edge.

“Solid…David, are you awake?” Eli whispered so quietly that it was almost soundless, yet to the brunette it was the blare of a foghorn. _Should I say yes?_ He stayed completely still, feigning sleep to see what his brother would do. “…David?”

The bed moved slightly as his twin rolled over very carefully. A hand was placed lightly on his shoulder, and he made sure not to stir. _He must be checking that the coast it clear._ A bubble of excitement rose in him at the thought that the events of two nights ago might be repeated.

Satisfied that he was still snoozing Eli shuffled even closer, going slow so as not to disturb him. Once they were almost chest to back he stopped. David could feel his body heat through his own pyjamas. _What is he doing?_ His twin brought his face to the nape of his neck, taking a long sniff and sighing the warm air back onto him. He did it twice more, pressing his nose into his hair gently. _He’s_ smelling _me?_

In a flash of courage Eli’s hand found its way to the sliver of skin between David’s shirt and boxers at his lower back, tracing his fingers over it gingerly. HE’S TOUCHING ME!  The dark haired snake fought to keep his breathing shallow and calm while he was in chaos inside.

Elis’s hand worked its way up under the top, flattening the palm down tentatively. His other hand, carrying a mouthful of spit, wrapped around his cock and began stroking it eagerly. David somehow managed to stay still, barely believing what was happening. Gradually his underwear began to tent over his budding erection.

The wayward hand travelled over his side, ghosting over his stomach. _If he goes any lower he’ll feel how hard I am._ “Mmh…” Eli breathed into his neck, smoothing over his soft skin in little circles. With his mouth so close David could hear every muted sound he made. _Fuck…that’s so hot!_ At this point it was very difficult to keep still and unaffected.

Eli felt all the way to the elastic of his boxers, keeping his fingers there for slightly longer each time his rubbing brought them there. The brunette tried not to shudder or make a noise, his arousal so strong he was almost bursting. _Please, stop teasing me!_

On another low brush of his fingers David was sure he had dipped under the band. Miraculously he didn’t squirt into his underwear there and then, but his desperation for stimulation increased unbearably. With his judgement severely impaired (as it would be for any hormonal teen) he finally moved to grab the hand that was petting him.

Eli jolted at the contact, seizing up with a deep gasp. Before he could panic or rip his arm away and try to explain himself David guided the hand downwards, slipping it under the waistband until his fingertips met with the base of his cock. He prayed that the blonde wouldn’t tear himself away or start an argument over it, which was highly likely.

Taking a few seconds to register the rapid chain of events, Eli slowly unwound. After a moment’s hesitation he let his fingers encircle the member, dragging them to the tip and back again. David made a half-sigh half-whine, letting go of his twin’s wrist to let him take the reins.

Liquid let the panting and jerking continue, carving the sensation of pleasuring his brother into his memory. It felt much like masturbating with a numb body.

“Eli…” Solid thrust his hips in time with his tight grip, bringing himself even closer to the edge. With his newest fantasy coming true before him, Eli let go of all his control and sped up to reach the finish line. Being each of their first sexual encounters, neither of them were bound to last very long.

“Ahh!” The blonde was the first to come, giving a piping moan and sucking hard on the back of David’s neck. His seed soaked through to the duckies on his pjs. The other snake followed soon after hearing his twin’s cry, making a similar noise and holding his fist in place to set the pace himself with his hips.

Panting and sweaty and tired, the boys melted into the bed. Eli didn’t want to move, so he stayed pressed against his brother with his sticky hand still in his underwear. David didn’t mind one bit. They drifted off like that in the fuzzy afterglow, not saying a word.


	8. Leppard

The blonde slipped away in the early hours of the morning, long before his twin awoke. He got a good look at the hand he had used to touch him with after pulling it from his underwear, giving the gooey substance a quick taste. He’d tasted his own before out of curiosity and he decided his brother’s was much better, sucking the rest from his fingers.

Not bothering to shower, he dressed himself in yesterday’s clothes and slung his pack over his shoulder. Eli didn’t want to be near David for a while – he was worried about what the brunette would say to him. David had been the one who made him…do what he did, but he was technically the one who started it.

If Eli was asked why he had been fondling him in the first place, he wouldn’t have an answer. Not a good one, anyway. ‘I’ve always wanted to jerk my brother off’ probably wasn’t the response David would be after. What answer _would_ he want though? He was the one who moved the hand! ‘I have problems and stalking my siblings is my no.1 hobby’ was also the truth, but again, not a good response.

He took some money from the lockbox in the kitchen for the 24 hour shop at the petrol station in town. The regular store wouldn’t be open for a few hours. They were running low on – well, _everything_ , and the shop sold a few grocery items that would keep them going for another week. Snake wasn’t the shopping sort, so it was up to Eli to get food now that George was away.

At first he had been debating whether or not to go to his spot in the woods to hide while he found some excuse to give to David, but it was still too soon to return to the scene of his crime. There wasn’t much danger now that his father’s money had bailed him out, yet laying low for a while felt like a good idea.

The dawn sun shone directly into his face as he walked, forcing him to squint for most of the journey. No one was up yet, save a few morning commuters on their way to work. Eli always received strange looks wherever he went. Perhaps it was the scowling or the strutting around like royalty, but other people seemed to sense he wasn’t quite like them.

The chances they would guess he was a Snake, product of a scientific miracle and spawn of the most fearsome soldier to have ever lived, were low - so he continued to glare at passers-by and swagger about in his cocky, self-important way. Why change a habit of a lifetime?

~

David got a rude and abrupt awakening when he rolled right off of his bed and landed hard on the floor. He yelped and scrabbled to his feet, his heart hammering painfully in his chest. _Shit! Ow…I fell out of bed!_ Unlike the usual, he had been lying right on the edge. _That’s right, Eli was here too…_

Like a train through the fog, the memory of what had occurred the night before struck him from nowhere and left him reeling. _Eli! Where is he!_ David was alone in his room. He immediately crossed the landing to knock on the blonde’s door.

“Eli?...Are you there?” the door was carefully pushed open, revealing another empty room. _He’s not here? Is he even home_? Although he knew it was stupid David was worried that his twin had left altogether because of what they had done. There was no way he would just up and leave for good, but the thought did cross his mind.

 _He’s probably gone somewhere to draw, his backpack is missing too. Or he could just be downstairs_. Feeling a little less panicked, he went down to get himself cleaned up. Upon reflection he realised it was a good thing Eli was gone when he woke up, he still had no idea what he would say to him. They might not even acknowledge it at all, but he felt that having such a heavy thing hanging over them constantly would make living together torture.

David went downstairs at midday, determined to be casual in case Eli was around. From the second floor he heard the fridge open, and had to pause to gather his courage. _I’m not going back up just because he’s there…I have to be cool. Just don’t bring it up, act natural._

Despite his internal pep-talk he took the stairs in a tiptoe. He could picture himself being the antithesis of natural and casual as soon as he saw his twin. How were you supposed to react to seeing someone who’d given you your first handjob in such a strange situation?

The fact that they were brothers complicated things that much more. If they weren’t they could either start going out, swear it was a one-time mistake or never see each other again – neither of which were options in their current circumstance. _Say good morning, that’s all you have to do. ‘Good morning’, don’t fuck it up you do it every day!_

Creeping into the kitchen, he waited for Eli to close the fridge so he could act like he was just walking in. The fridge stayed open, and his twin kept rummaging around inside. _C’mon already…What’s taking so long?_ Moments away from walking in anyway and ruining the Casual Entrance, he finally got his wish. It wasn’t Eli in the kitchen at all, but his father.

He was both disappointed and relieved, feeling the tension drain out of him as he stepped forward to greet Snake. His father heard him coming and looked in his direction, making David stop in his tracks. _H-his face!_ Something was wrong with the picture. Snake’s face was crisscrossed with deep scars that he was certain hadn’t been there before. “…”

The man peered at him for a moment, snapping the lid from the bottle he was holding with his bare hands.

“Didn’t you move out?” he looked him over a second time. “Wait, you’re that other one. How long have _you_ been here?”

“…Uh…”

“It’s Danny, right? Or Dimi?”

“Um, it’s David.”

“Hm.” The Not Snake breezed past him to the living room, where a dirty crate had been dragged in next to the sofa. David followed after him, watching at a safe distance as he made himself at home on the settee.

“Uh…w-who?...Who are you?” Not Snake turned his good eye toward him blankly.

“Don’t you recognise your own father?” _Father? He’s not…is he? No, he looks different!_ “Don’t look so scared, Dimi. Why don’t you run along, Daddy’s had a long day.” David was discharged with a wave. He stood stunned, watching the other twirl the bottle between metal fingers.

 _His arm…His head – is that shard growing out of him? He’s not my father, but he speaks and moves exactly the same!_ Slowly he backed away out of the room, careful not to take his eyes off of the imposter. _Should I call someone?_

The only explanation he could conjure up was that he was another relative – Snake might have a twin brother too, but he had never been mentioned. It was possible: David had only found out about his older brother by rifling through Eli’s things.

 _Then why does he have the same eye missing? Is it a weird coincidence_? He wished he wasn’t home alone with his Not Dad. _I think I need to lie down for a while._

~

The house was deathly quiet. David kept his ears pricked for any sign of life. With all the silence he’d convinced himself he had hallucinated his earlier meeting downstairs. _It must be hunger. God, I wish I’d actually gotten some food earlier!_

Underneath his growling stomach he occasionally thought he heard voices and movement below. _Just my imagination…no wait, someone’s coming up here!_ Whoever it was was attempting to be soundless, but he noticed the footsteps on the loft stairs all the same. _Please don’t be that guy again…_

The door to Eli’s room clicked open and David jumped up, not wanting to miss his window to talk to him. Once in his bedroom the blonde probably wouldn’t let him in to speak.

“Eli.”

“Fucking _hell_ , don’t sneak up on me!” His twin was stopped under the doorway, turning back moodily. _Great, now what do I say?_

“Um…do you wanna come in?” he stepped back to let him past, gesturing with an arm.

“…Pass.”

“Then can I go in with you?” David kicked himself for sounding so desperate, but he didn’t want to spend yet another day on his own. The isolation was weighing on him; even back without a real family he had always had people around him. “It’s just - I’ve never been in there before, I’d like to see it.”

Eli wavered, casting a glance over his shoulder at the clutter inside. He still wanted to avoid bringing up the subject of last night.

“Well…I-I dunno, it’s a bit messy.”

“I don’t mind.” Eli spied the anxious look on his brother’s face and sighed.

“Ok then.”

David pretended that the room was alien to him, dispelling any suspicions that the other might have about him entering uninvited two days ago. “Sit on the bed if you want.” The brunette took the offer as Eli went around kicking junk into a pile against the wall. “I’ve been meaning to tidy up, I just…” He didn’t have an excuse, but he didn’t want to trail off into silence. The small talk was awkward enough as it was. “I just haven’t.”

“It’s not that bad.” _For a bombsite_. When everything had been rounded up Eli kept standing, prodding the pile with a foot. David opened his mouth to speak more than once, eventually giving up when no words would come and lapsing back into the uncomfortable quiet. He scanned about for a conversation piece. “I like your turntable.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, it’s nice innit.” Another pause. “You can put some music on if you want. I don’t think you’ll like anything there, though.” David scooted over to where it was resting at the foot of the bed, hanging his chest off the mattress to sort through the records beside it.

As he had found out on the day of his arrival, they were all rock bands. With the top of the bed now free Eli sat himself against the headboard, transfixed on the ass that was on display before him.

“Are these guys any good?...Eli?”

“Wha- yeah, they’re ok.” Forcing his eyes from the view was painful. _Don’t look at him don’t look at him. At least he’s not facing this way._

“Hey, I think I’ve heard of them. They’re British too, aren’t they?” By the end of the sentence the blonde was glued back to his butt. “I don’t think I ever asked why you have an accent.” David didn’t get an answer. His twin wasn’t even listening to a word he was saying, and he took it as a reluctance to talk on the subject.

The record was quite new and stuck in the sleeve; so he had to shake it out, jiggling his body as he did. Eli took a big gulp that scratched his suddenly dry throat.

His view was ruined when David got up to fix the record in place and turn the obnoxious volume down to a bearable level. The brunette positioned the needle and sat back, deciding to just lie down again when he noticed that his twin would be right next to him. “Who was that guy downstairs? Is he still there?”

“Yeah, that’s Venom. He comes here sometimes.”

“But _who is he?_ He looks like -”

“- Dad? He’s his phantom.”

“His what?”

“ _Phan-_ it’s like a doppelgänger.”

“…His what?”

“Ugh, never mind. It’s really complicated. He’s our dad but he’s not our dad, let’s just leave it at that.” David felt a thousand times more confused than he had before. _Why couldn’t he have just said uncle?_ He remembered the poster that he had found, opting to bring it up at a later date so as not to annoy Eli with questions.

Unbeknownst to him Eli couldn’t have been enjoying his presence much more. As the dark haired sibling lay examining the record spin, a pair of green eyes burned holes into the back of his shorts. _They’re a bit tight, aren’t they?...Not that I’m complaining. They definitely suit him better than those trousers._ He was faintly aware that _Pour Some Sugar on Me_ was playing, smirking at the perfect timing.

“I might get something to eat soon. I’m starving.”

“Me too. I went shopping earlier.”

“Good.”

_Here goes nothing._

“David…um, would you like to stay here tonight?” As an afterthought to fill the dead-air he added: “We can listen to some more music…”

“Y-yeah ok.” David was glad his brother couldn’t see his excited face. “Yeah.”


	9. Hypnotised

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many elipsises...far too many

Eli was quaking with anticipation all the way through his dinner. On more than one occasion he nearly dropped the food or his plate, and grabbed the red hot packet from the microwave with his bare hands. Luckily the brunette wasn’t looking, so he managed to recover without any damage to his pride. With his stomach in a knot he didn’t want to eat much as it was.

Gulping the little meal down at an unhealthy pace got the inconvenience of needing to eat out of the way. He finished it almost as soon as it was chucked on the plate, still resting on the kitchen countertop. If David hadn’t been just as hasty then he might (might) have been embarrassed.

Venom was snoring on the sofa in the living room, the remote still clutched in his prosthetic fingers. _Good_. Eli acted completely different around V, in the hopes that their relationship would never change. V gave him hugs and bought him presents and actually spent time with him – when he was around – unlike his real father who was colder and ignored him.

This semblance of normality had remained unchanged since he was twelve, and he wanted it to stay that way. As mature as he liked to think he was, he still wanted V to baby him…but not in front of David. So he left Venom there to sleep.

Back in the loft the twins parted ways again.

“I’ll go get changed.”

“Ok.” He watched David slip into his bedroom and darted into his own to find something good to wear. All of his clothes were dirty with him having postponed laundry day for much, much too long. _Shit! I don’t want to put something nasty on!_ Some of the things in the pile he had amassed got pulled out for a quick check, all getting re-added after failing to pass the test.

He took off his bottoms and tossed them away. _Ugh…I suppose I’ll have to wear this._ He didn’t have anything against sleeping in his vest and underwear, but he wanted to look like he’d made at least a tiny bit of effort. Not that he wanted to impress his sibling, not at all. Definitely not. The careful sorting of his hair in the small mirror on his cupboard had nothing to do with David either.

“Eli? Can I come in?” His inspection of himself in the mirror was cut short by his brother’s knock on the door. Eli stopped the preening at once to open it and let him through. David lay himself on the bed as he had done before, looking through the records again as something to do other than sit there expectantly. They both knew what they were there for, but they couldn’t bring themselves to address the elephant in the room.

“So…do you have any records?”

“No, I never had a turntable.” The brunette was wearing the same as him, and he could see the shape of him much better without the shorts. _I wonder what he feels like there._

“…Hm, that’s too bad.” _We’re the same, so it would feel like mine…but I’m not really in the habit of fucking grabbing my own ass. Besides, it’s not mine I want to grab._ “What about tapes?”

“I used to have a Walkman, but it broke.” _Would it be weird if it touched it now?...Yeah, it would be a bit much out of nowhere._ “Do you have any hobbies? Besides listening to music.” _…What did he say?_

“Hm.” He gave the most generic answer he could to the question he didn’t hear. _Jesus, I’m getting hypnotised over here!_

“What like? Do you, I dunno, swim or play sports or draw?” The almost imperceptible inflection on the last suggestion was lost on him. _What should I say – if I tell him he’ll want to see the drawings._

“Oh, you know; a bit of everything.”

“Everything? Even stamp collecting?”

“No, dummy!” he threw the pillow at his head and the music wavered under the pin.

“Haha! But seriously…” David flipped over to face him properly, propping himself up on his elbows.

“Actually, I do like drawing.” _Fuck, why did I say that?_

“Can I see?”

“Uh, they’re not – ready.” _‘Not ready’? Why am I such a-_

“Aw c’mon! I promise I won’t laugh. Please?”

“No.”

“Draw something now, then.”

“There’s nothing to draw here.”

“What about me?” Now Eli got the sense that he had been guided towards this particular outcome. _Why so insistent, brother?_

“…Maybe some other time.” David noticed his guardedness and gave up, rolling back over to read the empty record sleeve.

“Spoil sport.”

~

Just after dusk they decided to go to bed. They hadn’t done much more than sit and talk up until then, the tension building torturously thick between them. The blind was drawn and they got under the duvet, both staring at the ceiling and waiting for the other to act first.

Minutes crawled by in absolute silence, with Solid trying to gather enough courage to move his hand the tiny distance to his twin. _Just do it. Come on, he won’t mind! He’s the one who let you in!_ Slowly he inched his fingers closer and closer.

Eli jumped when their hands met, moving his arm out of the way so David could continue. When he met the flesh of his hip he heard the blonde gulp.

Mimicking what had been done to him the night before, he ran his palm over his middle under the thin top. The angle didn’t make it easy, so he switched to using the back of his hand. _His skin is so smooth…I can feel his heart beating real fast._

The blood rushing away from his head made him dizzy. Eli sighed quietly beside him, and he interpreted it as his cue to go further. Tentatively he wormed his way into his boxers, taking the stiffening member into a loose fist. He pumped it up and down the shaft, having to pull towards himself since it was hard to reach in their position.

In the pitch black he couldn’t tell what face Eli was making, but he could hear just how he was affecting him. It was reassuring to know he was doing ok, since it was his first time touching a cock that wasn’t his own. As soon as his other fist made to grab himself Eli moved onto his side to do the job for him, plunging into his underwear eagerly. _Holy shit, he’s holding me so tight._

David mirrored him so that they were facing, their arms crossed over to jerk each other. Concentrating on his twin’s hand he noted the slight difference in their methods. Everything about getting off via Eli was amazing – the thrill, the unpredictability, the heightened pleasure.

Laid the way they were Liquid’s hot breath puffed over him. _Our faces are so close!_ The blonde grunted, letting him judge the distance even better.

“Haaah…brother…” Eli whispered. David wasn’t sure whether to be happy that he’d called him brother or creeped out that he’d done it while they were masturbating each other. Right at that moment he didn’t particularly care.

 _He’s so loud – I love it!_ Opening his eyes was useless as far as letting him watch the other went. Solid wanted to see his face; imagining it surely couldn’t compare to the real thing. He could just about make out his silhouette and the sheen of sweat here and there.

 _S-should I kiss him? He might not want me to…_ It would be easy. In fact it could even be done by accident, they were practically nose-to-nose. _I’m sure a little one won’t hurt._ Nervously he craned his neck and puckered up, meeting Liquid’s open mouth and surprising his poor twin yet again. “Mh!”

Eli jerked his head back, his movements faltering. David pulled away, completely humiliated. _Oh God, I wish I hadn’t done that!_ The hand on his cock caught back up, but no comment was made at all. Even a simple reprimand would have been better than nothing, in his eyes. _Shit, I guess this is the last time we’re sharing a room, then._

He was shocked when Eli pressed their lips together again experimentally, waiting for him to respond. With zero visibility he had nearly missed his target.

Carefully David pushed back, parting his lips in time with his sibling’s and copying the cant of his head. _So soft…_ A moan escaped him unbidden and Eli answered with his own, his tongue darting out over his wet lips. “You taste good.” The bolt of arousal that passed through him stopped him from replying with something other than a shaky whimper.

Eli let go of the shaft to fling the quilt away, sidling closer until they were flush against each other. Instead of returning to his member, the free hands slid around him to stroke down his back and clasp onto his buttocks.

“Ah!” He didn’t push the unexpected attention away, though he now had a trail of precome along his back. Not wanting to be left out, he fished himself from his boxers to masturbate them both in one fist, the other gripping onto Eli’s ass. “Mmhmh.” With a hand on the blonde’s backside David could tell why his twin was kneading him so hard – his cheeks were an irresistible kind of squishy, that made you want to claw at them and squeeze them.

As he was thinking how great it would be to bite there Eli sunk his teeth into his bottom lip. Not hard enough to break the skin, but plenty hard enough to make him squeak. The perpetrator chuckled and licked it better slowly, pressing the tongue deep into his mouth afterwards. Having someone else’s tongue there was a weird sensation, but Solid liked it.

Getting closer and closer, their hips rubbed together reflexively.

“Ahh, _fuck_ …mmh! Fuck, I-I!” They reached their orgasm together, raking nails over skin and groaning, twitching under the pumping hand.

Hot and out of breath Eli rolled back onto his back, letting the night’s events sink in fully. The rise and fall of his chest was highlighted by sweat. “Did you, uh…was I any good?”

“Uh huh.” Without the duvet the comparatively cool air of the bedroom was soothing. “Was I?”

“Yeah.” he already sounded half-asleep. “Would you want to stay here again?”

“Mmh hm.” _I’m tired…my eyes won’t stay open._ Eli’s jaw all but unhinged in a massive yawn, apparently in the same state as his brother. “I’m glad you let me stay. I like having company.” But Eli was out cold, his underwear tangled at his knees and semen drying on his stomach. “Goodnight.”


	10. Lifeboat

He watched David dream in the pale light of dawn. Any sketch he took of him would do him no justice – his twin was truly a work of art. Even a photo would be a poor substitute to the reality, though he wouldn’t mind owning such a photograph. Or two.

Eli swore never to forget what they had done last night, no matter what other memories may come after. Life with his brother wasn’t what he had expected at all. He’d imagined having his work cut out for him beating his sibling into submission for dominance of the house and the love of their father. Eli had already had The War for The Better Twin planned out in his head before the brunette’s arrival.

David proved to be the opposite of the antagonistic adversary of his paranoid daydreams. He was pretty much as normal a teenager as a member of their family can be. It fascinated Eli, who observed him very closely. The day they went to the stream David was happy just to paddle around and keep to himself. He wasn’t bitter or angry or poisonous inside like the rest of them.

How? What had happened to make him so different? _The question should be what hasn’t happened. What does he know of suffering? He’s probably lived his entire life in a bubble…if he grew up as I did he wouldn’t be so fucking happy-_

David fell onto his back in his sleep, the side of his face pink where it had been against the pillow. _Lovely...I shouldn’t be mad, but I can’t help it. I_ do _want you to stay the way you are. You don’t push me away like everyone else._ Eli reached out to smooth a strand of his dark hair down, which immediately woke him up to paw at his face in a panic.

“Ah, fuh…ugh, I thought you were a bug.” David sat up with a shiver.

“Thanks. You going already?”

“Just to the bathroom. Should I come back?” In an effort to be apathetic the blonde crossed his hands behind his head casually and shrugged. He was hoping they could continue the fun they were having yesterday, but didn’t want to seem _too_ keen.

“If you want.”

Of course, he came straight back and plopped onto the bed. Eli didn’t waste much time letting his intentions be known. He danced a hand along his side and pulled him a little closer, smirking over his flushed cheeks. His twin caught on at once and snaked an arm around his waist, bringing their faces together.

“Eli!” The twins started at V’s voice from outside. “Wake up.” David was promptly pushed away and stuffed under the duvet.

“W-what is it?” Venom let himself in without any real warning, unbothered by his son’s awkward lounging on the crumpled quilt.

“Pack a bag, you’re coming with me.”

“What? Since when?!”

“Since you killed that boy. John figures you’re better behaved with me, so…there you go.”

“Couldn’t you have told me earlier? What about David?”

“Hm? Oh, he can come too. Be ready by 12.” The door was closed again and David wriggled his head out from under the covers.

“What was that about? Where are we going?”

“For fuck sake…”

“What is it, where are we going?”

~

_1987 – Mother Base, Seychelles_

Eli was glad to be gone. America was too quiet and ordinary; here he was truly king of the castle (well, _prince_ of the castle). Not even George outranked him here, because George never bothered to visit. His first home that felt like home, with an army of dogs at his beck and call. What more could he ask for?

“Smells like seaweed here.” David stood beside him on the Command Platform, sulking about being uprooted yet again.

“You’ll get used to it.”

“Hmph. It’s so noisy.”

“It’s busy here.” Cranes and lifts were whirring away to haul cargo, the usual background noise on Base. The ocean raged below constantly and machinery was always blaring, and people just called out over the racket. In the more peaceful places the din could still be heard humming in the distance.

“How long are we staying here?”

“I dunno. Cut out that grumpy shit too, at least until we’re in private.” They watched Venom’s helicopter shrink on the horizon, neither of them very happy that they’d effectively been dumped. David shouldered the duffel bag he’d packed in a hurry and followed his brother to an electronic sliding door in the thick metal walls.

In the cold fluorescent hall they passed by some others, all soldiers hefting assault rifles. The soldiers nodded at them, and David followed his twin’s example of ignoring them. A familiar image caught his attention to his left. It was another ‘Big Boss is watching you’ poster at the end of another corridor. “Come on.” Eli was waiting in a service elevator with a finger already hovering over the button.

“Hey, um…”

“What is it?”

“No, it doesn’t matter.” The brunette had been meaning to bring up the subject of their father’s identity for a while, but asking now would make him look like an idiot. He’d just been taken to an offshore fortress by a spookily exact replica of Snake – if that wasn’t a clear enough answer to his question then maybe he deserved to get laughed at. Still, it was a lot to take in.

The elevator rumbled up two more floors and groaned to a halt. Eli led him out onto the third floor, which was much, much smaller than the one he had just been through. That one had been a maze of white halls and doors, but this one had only one hall and half a dozen doors.

“This is our level. That door there,” he pointed to the one furthest away, “leads outside. You can come and go from there, but this way is quicker. And busier.” Eli slapped a button by the second door and it slid open. “This is my room…I, uh, don’t think the other rooms have been unlocked yet, so you can put your stuff in here.”

David stepped in as the lights flickered on. It wasn’t as cosy as their bedrooms at home. There was a cot, a small table and two plastic chairs and a chest. _Hm…No windows? I suppose it could be worse._ “Bathroom’s through there if you want to use it.” The brunette set his bag down and perched himself on one of the chairs.

“Why did we have to come here?” he mumbled gloomily.

“Blame our father. Hey, don’t look so miserable! You’ll like it here.” Solid didn’t look very convinced. _So this is what I’m like when I’m moody? I really need to stop_ the blonde told himself. “I still have to show you around, there are some cool places…Stop pulling that face, just give it a chance!” He felt strangely proud of Mother Base, and wanted his twin to love being there as much as he did; though he wasn’t quite sure why.

“You’re not gonna introduce me to anyone, are you?”

“Ha! Fuck no, everyone worth meeting here has either left or died.”

“There are still loads of people though.”

“This platform is always busy! We just went through Combat accommodation too. I know _all_ the best places, brother. Trust me, no one will even know we’re here.”

Eli kicked off the Impress David tour by showing him the outer way to leave their floor. There were a few flights of stairs to the platform’s main deck, but the only others along their path were patrolling soldiers.

“This place is huge.” Bridges to other platforms split off from Command, like the tentacles of an octopus.

“Yeah. This is CP1. There’s something on CP2 I want to show you.”

“CP?”

“ _Command. Platform_. One through four.”

“Oh.” _Thanks for the belittling._ “What do you wanna show me?”

“You’ll see.” Turning at a stack of shipping containers Eli descended a ladder that led to an even lower level, shadowed under the metal walkways above. At a row of some elaborate lifeboats he untied a loose knot and pulled the waterproof tarp back from the hatchway.

“Are you allowed to do that?”

“Only if no one finds out.” After struggling with the tarp’s rope bindings and yanking the hatch they were free to step into the suspended lifeboat. It rocked ever so slightly, reminding David of the roiling water below.

“Uhh, isn’t this kinda dangerous?” _Oh God please don’t slip…_

“It’s fine, come on!” Eli let him in and secured the hatch behind him. It was a lot bigger than it looked from outside. The sides were bordered with orange leather benches, which could be lifted to reach stored rations and supplies. “It must have been checked since I was here last, it’s been tidied.” The blonde began poking around under the benches, pulling sealed packs out as he went.

“What are you- c’mon you’re gonna get us in trouble!”

“Rule one of Base, David: there is no trouble unless we’re caught. Which we won’t be.” He tore into the thin plastic for dramatic effect and emptied the foam mattress out. “Here, open this.” A thick grey blanket was vacuum packed into the parcel.

“You’re making a bed?”

“Yep. It’s comfier this way – plus the new space under the seats can be used to hide snacks.”

“What are you, a squirrel?”

“Just lay the blanket out, will you? Have some pillows.”

Eli had soon constructed a nest for them in the back half of the boat out of the supplies, and sat admiring his handiwork. “That’s more like it! Lie down, it feels great.” David settled onto his back over the makeshift bed. He had to admit it was a lot softer than he had been expecting.

“This is quite cool, actually. It’s a great hiding spot.” _Seems like no one comes down here often. Plus, they couldn’t hear us over the waves unless we really shouted._ Liquid lay himself alongside his twin on the wide floor and fiddled the corner of one of the blankets shyly.

“Yeah…I like it here. Do you think it still sucks on Base?”

“You haven’t shown me everything yet. But if it’s like this, then it can’t be too bad.” His mood was considerably lighter than it had been setting foot on Mother Base.

“Um…I was wondering if, uh…if I did something for you…would you do it for me too?”

“Like what?”

“Well…” It was hard to tell in the coloured light filtering through the narrow windows, but David was sure the other was blushing. _Is that why he brought me here? For something like…like that?_ “I wanted to know what it would feel like if you put me in your mouth.”

 _Oh. OH._ “It’s supposed to feel good, so – so I’d like us to do it together. To each other.”

“Er, I…”

“You can go first, if you want.” Eli sat up to see his sibling’s face, gaining some confidence now that he had finally, _finally_ asked the question. “I’ll do you first.” He flipped to adjust himself so that he was knelt between the brunette’s legs, tugging at the button of his shorts.

“Uh, Eli, I don’t think-” The first layer had been broken through much too quickly for his liking. “Eli? I- ahh!” David’s ability to speak was hindered by the tongue sliding over the suddenly exposed shaft, lifting off the tip with a flourish. He twitched under the touch and came to life as Liquid closed his lips over him and hollowed his cheeks.

 _OhfuckholyFUCKIcan’tohmyGod!_ “Ah, aah Eli wait.” His brother’s mouth felt more than just ‘good’, but something still wasn’t right. David knew it wasn’t, more clearly than ever. _It’s too much._ “Wait a second. Wait!” he pushed on the blonde’s shoulders to get him off and scooted away, panting.

“What, what is it?” Liquid was surprised but a little smug, suspecting the other was close to bursting already.

“W-we shouldn’t be doing this.”

“What? Don’t be daft.” He crawled forward to resume the task at hand, and was stopped by a raised hand.

“No, I’m serious! It’s not… _right_.”

“You must be joking.” The fair haired twin was smiling nervously, searching his face for a hint of humour. “You have to be joking…I don’t get it.”

“This is wrong, it’s - too much.”

“Too…much?” David lowered his head, ashamed of himself.

“I think we should – I think – that I’m gonna go.” He tucked himself away and waited for Eli to let him past.

“NO. Too much?! What the _fuck_ do you think you’re doing?”

“Eli, get out of the way.”

“ _Don’t_ you _dare_ get all high-and-mighty on me. You were the one who started all this!”

“You know I wasn’t Eli, stop!”

“‘Stop’? So you stay with me and touch me and kiss me, but _this_ is where you have an attack of the conscience? Get over yourself, David! You’ve already crossed the line, it’s too late for this!”

“So deciding I don’t want this makes me a hypocrite?”

“Yes it fucking does!” _You’re so unbelievable! You’re putting_ my _morals into question?!_ Solid was getting as angry as his counterpart.

“Then I guess I’m a hypocrite, because I _don’t_ want you.” He hadn’t meant to word it quite like that, but it sounded much more cutting that way. Something shattered visibly within his twin at that. Eli made an odd sound and faltered. Then he exploded and launched himself at his cornered brother. David was quick enough to kick out at the blonde’s middle, throwing his attacker’s trajectory off and lessening the force of the punch.

“Gah! …You _bastard_ …You’re lying!”

“No I’m not.” _Yes I am. No, I – I don’t know!_ Did he not want Eli or just not want the blowjob? Why hadn’t he liked it, when it had been pleasurable?

“You can’t change your mind like that. It’s not fair!” _I didn’t want to!_ David couldn’t voice his frustration at himself by then. Eli picked himself up and turned away, hiding the pain that was still evident in his voice. “Fine, then. I won’t waste my breath on you any longer.” Liquid shoved the hatch open, letting in the bright sunset. “I don’t know why I bothered to in the first place.”

“Ditto.” Childish or no, there was no way he would lose the pain-inflicting competition.

“I wish you’d never come!”

“I wanted to stay at home anyway!”

“I was talking about California! I should have let you die when I saw that knife.” Eli slammed the hatch behind him, swaying the lifeboat on its thick metal pulleys.


	11. Menagerie on Mother Base

_Curse you, brother! Why?!_ Eli paced alone in his chambers, having thrown his twin’s bag out into the hall and locked himself in. _I should have known I couldn’t trust you! You’re a liar!_ He crumpled to the floor again, banging his fists on his head. _David, you bastard…you_ do _want me, you_ do _, you_ do _! You have to. Please, don’t let me be wrong about you._

Just that morning (not taking into account the time zones they crossed) he had been lying in bed with him, marvelling at his sleeping body. Now he was alternating between lying in a heap and pinging off the walls with rage. _I hate you! Look what you’ve done to me…_ He was mortified that David had such a hold on him after only seven days – he had spent his entire life convincing himself that he was his sworn enemy, someone placed alongside him to test his mettle as the subordinate son of Big Boss, made from left-over parts.

 _But…I don’t want you to hate_ me _, David! Please,_ please _don’t hate me!_ Where had he gone wrong? Was it the location? Had he been too sudden with his proposal? Everything was so perfect though! They had their own secret place, for them to hide away together in. He’d offered him a piece of his kingdom, and David had ruined everything.

~

It was a lot less welcoming on Base by himself. Not wanting to go back to Eli’s room for a very long while, David cautiously ventured out to pass the time with his own little tour. The gap between the shipping containers on the main level served as a rest stop while he plucked up the courage to step into view of the patrolling soldiers.

He scurried across the deck to a big silo that towered into the purpling sky, waiting for someone to call after him and escort him back to his room. As far as he knew nowhere was out of bounds, but the fear of reprimand was there all the same. No one spoke to him or tried to stop him, if they even noticed him at all.

From behind the humming silo he spied a large gun emplacement. The temptation to inspect it outweighed the worry that he was far more likely to be told off for touching it than he was for just wandering around. David put on the least suspicious, leisurely stride he could and meandered his way through metal towers and pipes.

It was a good thing he was paying attention or he would have fallen down the giant open hatches in the floor. They must have been used to transport containers to a lower level, judging by their size and rectangular shape. _Jeez, how on earth did it miss that?_ The sides of the drop were raised specially to stop people from taking a wrong step there. _That would have made a great first impression._

A well signposted stairway led down to the storage room below. From the large accesses he could hear voices. _There’s light, too. It must be more soldiers._

“…pretty recently. Wait, no…it has been a few months.”

“Yeah, it has! There’s a difference already.”

“You think?” His curiosity piqued, David slowed down to eavesdrop on the conversation while pretending he was still walking around to see the sights.

“Definitely. Two fights in the mess hall in twice as many months? That would never have gone down with the Commander around.”

“True. I don’t think anyone’s going to be acting up after seeing what Boss did to Sly Toad though.”

“Ha! That was brutal. Is he out of sickbay yet?”

“Not for a while. He can’t eat solid food with his jaw wired shut.”

“Fuck. Not more starting shit in the mess hall for him.”

“No kidding. Alright, I gotta go switch shifts with Harrier on Support.”

“See ya later.” David swerved away from the stairway to continue in the opposite direction, hoping the emerging solider wouldn’t notice his snooping.

“Hey kid.” The brunette jumped and snapped toward the guy addressing him from the foot of an observation tower. It wasn’t either of the pair he had been listening to. _Shit, was he watching me the whole time? Now I’ve done it._ “C’mere.” He was talking in a conspiratorial mock whisper.

David shuffled over guiltily. The soldier removed a hand from his rifle to dip into a pocket, passing the recovered item over. _It’s…a candy bar?_ Puzzled, David took it and examined the shiny packet. _‘Calorie Mate’. An energy bar?_ “I won’t tell anyone. Don’t stay out too late, kid.” He winked at him and grasped the gun muzzle again.

“Thanks,” Solid replied genuinely. He had thought he was going to get scalded, not get a gift. _Nice!_ Something Eli had said about them having nothing to fear from their ‘father’s men’ came back to him and he remembered the argument they had had not long ago.

The blue-eyed twin set off back to CP1. Without Eli was alone; he had to make up with him somehow. He figured the Calorie Mate would be a good peace offering to fill the gaps in his apology. Even after dwelling on what had gone down he still felt that he wasn’t the one at fault, but he doubted the blonde would acknowledge it or be the first to reconcile the situation. It was up to him to compensate for Eli’s egotism if he wanted his friendship. If that’s what they even were to each other.

~

There was a knock at the door long after Liquid had calmed down enough to sit still. Immediately he was tense again, gripping onto the arms of the chair and straining to hear who was outside.

“Eli?” _It’s him._ “…Eli, are you there? Can I come in?” Without thinking he stood up, quickly catching himself and sitting again. The door beeped in refusal when David tried to open it, letting him know that it was no use. Liquid had already overridden the button command from inside.

He didn’t dare speak up in case his brother decided to start a conversation through the barrier. If he stayed silent hopefully David would give up and leave. It didn’t seem like he was there to argue with him further, but Liquid didn’t want to hear it. Yet. He needed more time to be upset about it – plus it doubled up as a punishment for the brunette. David would be made to wait until he was grovelling for Eli’s forgiveness.

Early the next morning he left to take up his favourite position on the top of the Command Platform and recline in the age-brittled garden chair he’d brought up there years ago. Here he wouldn’t be disturbed. In effect it was his own throne room.

Every time he thought he heard a helicopter he looked around, impatient for his father to return. He wouldn’t tell him that he had fallen out with his twin and was actively avoiding him, he just wanted to see him. It always cheered him up.

The day crawled by agonisingly slowly, and it wasn’t until midday that he finally spotted Pequod’s chopper glinting in the vertical sun. _At last!_ He got up to wave at the approaching aircraft, though he would be hard to see at that distance.

Going down to meet Venom felt like a bad idea. David might be there to do the same, or he might bump into him on the way. No, it was better to wait for V to come to him. He would usually shower first and make his way up to check that Eli was there, or ask around if anyone knew where the blonde was. His real father would never have bothered.

It took a whole thirty minutes for V to reach him, still slightly damp from rinsing the blood from his clothes.

“Hi Daddy!” Eli jumped into his embrace gratefully.

“Hey. How’s my boy?”

“Much better now.”

“Good. Why are you up here by yourself?” He kept his face from forming a tell-tale scowl as V pulled back to look at him and shrugged. “Hm. Well, I’m going to the Animal Platform if you wanna come with me and your brother.” Eli’s delight at seeing Venom instantly dissipated.

“How come David’s going too?”

“Why wouldn’t he be? He’s my son, too.” _God, you couldn’t have given a worse answer if you tried._

“…No, I’m ok.”

“You don’t want to go?”

“No.”

“Why not? Are you feeling ok?” The younger snake saw an opportunity to ruin his twin’s day. If he said he felt sick V would want to stay behind to look after him.

“No. I have-” _What do I have?_ “-a headache. It really hurts.” He rubbed his suddenly pounding forehead weakly. _Hehe, V’s a sucker for this kind of shit. Hook, line and sinker!_ His voice of self-pity always did the job of tugging at his predictable heartstrings.

“Poor baby. Go lie down instead of sitting in the sun, it’s not good for you.”

“Yes Daddy.” Now he had to fight to keep from smiling. _Looks like your trip will have to wait, brother!_

“I’ll be back to check on you in a few hours, ok? Promise me you’ll drink some water, too.”

“Wait you – you’re going?” _No, this wasn’t the plan!_

“Yeah, I’m taking David to see the animals. It won’t take long.” _No, no, no!_ Venom was leaving him, for David’s sake?! Since when did he put ANYONE before him, son or no! Feeling the black anger rising up again he pushed past his father stroppily.

“Well, don’t hurry on my account,” he spat before disappearing inside, ignoring V’s confused calling after him.

Back in his room Eli lay down to scream bloody murder into his pillow. It felt as though some unknown intelligence was methodically orchestrating his life to fall apart. Venom had never made him feel like he was anything less than his whole world and top priority, until David. He chose taking his twin to see the menagerie over caring for his sick son? Eli wasn’t really sick, but V didn’t know that.

 _It’s not fair. I was here first, me!_ Deep down he knew V was just trying to make David feel welcome, as he had with him, but it felt too much like they were turning against him. He wanted Solid to be deprived of the affection after what he had done.

The blonde could not comprehend why he was been pushed away and rejected so unexpectedly. Solid had liked everything else they did, and freaked out over a blowjob? According to him it had been ‘too dirty’, but Eli couldn’t see the difference.

Thinking back on it David hadn’t been overly keen when he suggested it. He hadn’t said no…but he hadn’t said yes either. _Maybe he needed more time to think about it._ Liquid had been quite impatient to get him in his mouth. To him, the idea of giving was more arousing than receiving.

Years ago, when Solidus had still been living with them, he would suck the handle of his hairbrush while he was masturbating and pretend it was his older brother. After a while he stopped putting it in his mouth in favour of putting it inside himself, still imagining it was George. It was a miracle no one had walked in on him, assuming him to be in pain with all the loud whining.

His eagerness to fellate his twin had frightened him away. _I think I should have waited for an answer. Wait…am_ I _the one in the wrong?! No, he had said all that horrible shit to me. This is his fault…Oh God…I think I am!_ I’m _the one who’s going to have to apologise!_

Saying sorry wasn’t particularly his forte. In fact he always refused to do it because he never recognised that he had done something wrong. Had he ever even said the word ‘sorry’ before? _Fuck…I need to come up with something._


	12. First Words

David had expected the trip to the Animal Platform to be extremely uncomfortable. He should have known Eli would refuse to go if he did too – he couldn’t run or fight him in front of their Not Father. In the end it was just him and Venom Snake, who he had barely said two words to before. Great.

The short helicopter ride there was conducted in awkward silence. Venom didn’t strike him as a man of many words, but it didn’t make it any better. He had probably hoped David would say no. Surely Big Boss was too busy to waste time with the likes of him.

A giant aviary sat at the hub of the Platform, on the deck understandably labelled AP1. V strode over to it, still looking at the holographic display of a futuristic handheld device that David really wanted to see.

Inside the chain-link cage were two levels of metal walkways, the railings occupied by a raucous variety of birds. He could identify the vultures and ravens; the rest were somewhat familiar but unknown to him. David stood watching them watch him, his mind wandering.

“…Do you like birds?” The young snake jolted from his reverie at the first words Venom had spoken to him since ‘do you want to see some animals?’.

“Uh, yeah. They’re ok.” He went back to staring at a dainty water bird wade in a pond at the bottom of the enclosure. Unlike the keen eyes of the carrion birds it hadn’t noticed him, and strutted around unaffected. “I like that one.”

“It’s a good one.” V was having just as hard a time as him thinking of something to say. It had been easier with Eli, he couldn’t get him to stop talking. Somehow he had imagined Eli’s twin to be exactly the same. Maybe it was a blessing; even _he_ couldn’t handle two Liquids. “Do you have a favourite animal?”

“I dunno,” David shrugged, picking some flaking paint from the railing shyly. “Dogs.” _Thank God._

“Yeah? I like dogs too. We have some wolves here, you wanna go see them?” His son’s face lit up at the mention of the wolves. Finally, they had something to talk about.

“Yes please!” Venom led the way, a very excited David skipping to keep up with his long paces.

Everything was sleeping when they got there, curled up in the shade; the wolves, the jackals, the painted dogs and the old bear. David practically jumped from the ladder in his haste to get a look at them, his joyful expression reminding V so much of Eli that he got a blast of déjà vu. Again he thought of the contrast between the twins, and of how they probably weren’t as different as they seemed on the surface.

“How are you and your brother getting along?” The elder could see the instant change in Solid’s body language where the boy was crouching by the fence.

“Good.”

“Right. You’re not very convincing.”

“We _are_ good!...I mean, we were, but…”

“You had a fight?” David nodded. _That would explain why Eli was acting so weird earlier._ “I wouldn’t worry about it, he’s always picking fights.”

“I dunno, he was pretty mad.”

“What did he do?”

“Well…uh, we were – just arguing, it wasn’t really about anything. We said some real mean things to each other, I don’t think he’s gonna forgive me.”

“Do you forgive him?” David looked surprised at the question, and creased his brow as he thought of the answer.

“Yeah, I do. I don’t think he meant what he said. I know I didn’t.” Ever since that evening he had been searching for the answer as to why he felt put off. Something about seeing and feeling Eli do the very intimate and pleasurable act had rammed home how taboo their not-so-brotherly relationship was. The hand jobs were bad enough as it was. For a moment he had been sickened, thinking about what the rest of the world would think of it.

But the rest of the world didn’t have to know.

“Then tell him so.”

~

Liquid saw them return from his vigil, having crept back out some time ago. He didn’t wave, hiding himself behind the wall and glaring at them as they stepped back onto Base. They were too far below for him to make out their faces, but he thought he could see Solid smiling.

V patted him on the back in farewell and the blonde’s annoyance intensified. He wanted them to get along, just not without him. It was like being locked out from the family fun time, which he certainly didn’t appreciate.

As if he could sense his thoughts, Solid turned his head toward the top of Command where he was standing. Liquid started and slid down from peeking over the barrier. There was a gap at the bottom that he could spy through instead, without being noticed.

Solid stood looking in his direction for a few more seconds before heading inside. _Did he see me? Shit, I think he’s coming up!_ As far as he knew David had no idea how to get up there, but it wasn’t a hard route to find. The stairs ran right past the door outside their level on CP1, after all.

Eli didn’t want to confront him just yet, so he raced back to his room leaping down each flight in the stairwell. He was a little closer to it than the brunette, and would make it there before him if he hurried. Turning the corner to their level was nerve-wracking, but luckily he was the only one there.

Back in his room he locked his door again and sat trying to catch his breath. _I made it…_ They had to come across each other at some point, he knew that. He wanted to have some amount of control over the meeting, though. Having David just bump into him gave David the upper hand, because he would get to choose the location and be expecting it.

No, that wouldn’t do, but Eli also didn’t want to be the one to go up to him first. Facilitating these two contradictory desires wouldn’t be easy.

~

There were no knocks on his door that night, or the following morning. Eli thought he would have been glad about that, yet he was disappointed. Obviously David wasn’t too bothered. To set his plan in motion he first had to find where his brother was.

The platform was teeming with Diamond Dogs, each soldier carrying out their tasks dutifully. He hoped his own men would work as devotedly for him one day as the Dogs did for Venom. To his right a dozen members of the Security Team were in the middle of target practice, deafening the whole of Command with their unsilenced shots.

Eli marched up to the first patrolling soldier he saw and asked if they knew where David was. They didn’t know, but they thought he had hitched a ride with someone to Support for a look around. _Great, so I have to walk all the way there?_

On a whim he thanked the Dog, something he never usually thought to do. He was the Boss’ son, he could do whatever he damn well liked; including acting as though he owned the place and everyone in it. They were always happy to interact with him anyway, even if he was arrogant.

At the road connecting the Command struts to Support he stopped to eye the waiting vehicle, parked ready to transport any soldiers. He couldn’t drive, but it couldn’t really be that hard. It was just a straight line interrupted by a few mild turns. Then again, there was a sheer drop into the ocean either side of the road, with a two foot shoulder as the only protection from veering off into the water. He would drown before anyone even knew he was missing. Shaking a sudden chill from his body he pushed the idea away to journey on foot.

As he neared SP1 his apprehension grew. All he had to do was walk within David’s field of vision and ‘unwittingly’ lead him somewhere quiet, where the brunette would catch up to talk to him. It was simple, and yet there were many ways it could go wrong. David might surprise him by appearing out of nowhere, or he might not even follow Eli away.

His high alert payed off when he spotted David in his peripheries, loitering near an M276. From the corner of his eye he could clearly pinpoint the moment his twin saw him saunter by, pretending that he hadn’t noticed David there. _Now I just have to hope he follows._

Sorting through the limited options, Eli decided to head toward a dark corner of the hanger on SP1. It was almost like the forgotten corner: soldiers didn’t walk past and the all but unused elevator created a hidden alcove. Perfect.

Eli kept his oblivious walk up, realising that he’d have to turn away from the corner if David didn’t catch up soon. Rather than forfeit his spot he stopped at the elevator, fiddling with the cage door as if he was attempting to open it. Time ticked past and he could feel the hairs on his neck standing up in anticipation of his brother making it over to him.

He suspected that David was trying to sneak up on him, and cast a glance over his shoulder. He was alone in the hangar. _He’s not here?! Maybe he didn’t see me after all. I need to walk by again_. Adopting the casual gait, he made his way back out into the sunlight.

Solid was still by the emplacement, now joined by three gulls that he was crumbling bits of a Calorie Mate for. The brunette looked up at him. _FUCK, he knows I’ve seen him!!!_ Liquid hesitated and considered just walking off, but the other would know he was running away.

Regaining his haughty composure, Liquid strutted over. The gulls squawked, scattering, and the green-eyed snake stood with his arms crossed waiting for Solid to greet him. His greeting never came.

“David.”

“Yeah?” _Oooh, don’t you pretend like nothing’s the matter_. Eli opened his mouth to speak and found that he had no idea what to say. He hadn’t planned on being forced to face him like this.

“W-what are you doing out here?” _Ugh…_

“I’m just looking around. What are you doing?” _Oh fuck_.

“Well – I – was told to come get you. Dad wants you.”

“…He does?”

“Yeah. He’s this way.” Eli spun on his heels and headed back to the hangar. It was still empty, but he led David behind the shelves anyway. _What am I going to do? What do I do?!_

“Why are we going this way?” The blonde stopped as his ideas ran out, completely in the spotlight. “Eli?” He had nothing to say, and no excuses left. “…Eli?” In a flash Liquid spun round and launched himself at his twin, crashing their lips together clumsily. “Mh!”

He opened his mouth to the kiss and pushed forward with his tongue desperately, clinging tightly to David’s neck. His sibling froze in shock and let his mouth be probed. _Please don’t ignore me!_

As if waking up from a deep sleep, David shuddered and gripped onto Eli’s hips, relaxing his jaw to mould it in time with his. Eli was pressing into him so desperately that they stumbled, landing against a row of shelves and knocking some empty boxes off. The sound of them thumping on the floor was muted, but the twins stopped to check for anyone that might have heard.

They waited nervously, still clutching onto each other. A gull screamed outside, and laughter could be heard somewhere on the roof. Someone could spot them from the walkways above if they happened to be on patrol. Eli thought about taking it elsewhere and his impatience cried out in protest. Even the quick kiss had him aroused, and it had had the same effect on David by the feel of it.

Getting some sudden inspiration he stooped to pick up one of the large boxes and tipped the stray bits of packing foam out. Then he knelt down and hid underneath it. David lifted a corner up to peer in after him.

“We can both fit in,” was all he needed to say, and David crawled in too. In fact, it was so big their father could have hid underneath with room to spare. _What the hell did they put in this?_

Solid was the first to pounce this time, crawling onto Liquid so that the blonde had to lie down under him. The floor was cold against his bare back.

“So…do you…forgive me?” Solid whispered between planting kisses on his neck.

“Yes.” The dark haired twin had started grinding into him slowly, rubbing their erections through their clothing. “Ah, _yes_.”

“Do you…still…wish I was dead?” Liquid cringed and faltered. _I forgot I said that._

“No, it’s not true! I only said it because…you made me upset.”

“I know. I suppose that makes us equal…because I didn’t mean all those things either.” His lips ghosted over the column of Liquid’s throat, feeling his heartbeat flutter there.

Eli’s hands hovered uncertainly across his body, finally settling on undoing his shorts. They both sprung free of their underwear easily and Eli gathered them in a hand to jerk them hurriedly. The box didn’t do much by the way of concealing their voices, so they had to bite their lips and stifle their moaning on each other’s skin.

David began thrusting hard, moving Eli’s body as well. It felt so _right_ ; Eli spread his legs wide to let him get as close as he could. The movements even rubbed along his ass where his clothes were bunching up and sliding. In that moment he recalled the feeling of the brush handle he was so fond of and imagined the sensation was his twin inside him.

“Hah, David!” He tensed up and spilt onto his stomach, locking the brunette in the vice-like grip of his thighs. His seed was mixed with the other’s soon after, and they stayed tangled together while they caught their breaths. “Haaa…brother…”

“Hm?”

“I…” What did he want to say? “I -” Something he’d never said before. “I’m sorry.”


	13. Fever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That took much longer than it should have

The box was left on the floor, the twins tidying themselves up as best they could and heading back out into the open. They didn’t speak much on their walk back to Eli’s room, but for once the silence was companionable.

David didn’t feel shy as Eli pulled his shirt over his head, nor did he feel _completely_ clueless when they kissed. In that room they were hidden. There was no sickness or panic when Eli took him into his mouth this time, just a rush of pleasure and excitement. He lay back and let himself enjoy the treatment, however inexperienced and clumsy it was. David couldn’t tell anyway.

In no time at all David could feel the tell-tale heat building in his lower abdomen, steadily getting stronger. As he got closer and closer he risked a peek at his twin, who was looking up at him with such a strange expression that it startled him. The blonde was flushed and out of breath, with thin tears gathering under his eyes and rolling down his cheeks. David was a little confused, and it must have shown on his face because Eli stopped to give him a smile and gulp in some oxygen.

“You ok?” Eli nodded and stuck his tongue out to slide along his shaft. _He’s so warm and soft…_ David came without warning, groaning and catching his equally surprised brother in the face. The orgasm was strong, and his hands fisted the sheets as he rolled his hips into it.

His tense body unwound slowly, still twitching and hot and flushed. “Hehe…sorry,” he mumbled when he’d recovered enough to open his eyes and get a look at the mess he’d made over his brother’s cheek and mouth.

“Mmh~” Liquid’s tongue darted out to swipe some of the semen from his lip, and Solid interrupted him with a kiss. The kiss evolved into a lick, and he gently began cleaning the sticky substance from his face while Liquid sat and relished the attention. When he was done he lapped the wetness from his eyes while the other laughed and shrugged him off. “Quit it!”

As Solid pulled back his sibling tipped with him, lying over him on the cot. Liquid buried his face into his neck, and the brunette could swear he was smelling him again. _Do I really smell that good?_ His twin’s still present erection dug into his thigh where he was being straddled, so he flipped their position in a smooth roll to take care of it.

Eli sat up for a better view, a feverish look of anticipation dancing across his face. He was shivering and panting so hard that David was slightly more concerned than aroused. Rather than ask if he was alright a second time he unfastened his shorts and tugged them down, eyeing the wet stain in his underwear at the head of his erection with a grin.

The underwear was finally peeled off, and David got the first good look at his twin’s genitals. Before they had either been in the dark or hidden between their bodies. Much to his surprise Eli had shaved himself, keeping the curly golden hair at the top and disposing of it everywhere underneath. The skin was so smooth that he had to pause to stroke over it, his sibling sighing tremulously above him. “Ahh, D-David…”

“Mmh-hm?” stopping the advance of his mouth to look up at him, he could see the cold sheen of sweat on his skin.

“I don’t feel so good.” Solid leaned back to take in Liquid’s pale face and bruised eyes, shocked that the change had happened so suddenly.

“Jesus Eli, you don’t _look_ so good! Maybe you should lie down.” Liquid collapsed onto his side, his wet hair clinging to his forehead. “What the hell happened? You were fine just a second ago!”

“I dunno…” They stayed in uncertain stillness for a moment, his arousal forgotten by the both of them.

“Well, should I get somebody?” The shaking had gotten worse fast, and the possibility that the deterioration was _his_ fault crossed David’s mind. How would he explain the fact that his brother had contracted an illness that occurs when you put a cock in your mouth? Did such a thing even exist?

“No. I don’t want them. Can you pull the blanket up? I’m cold.”

“You’re boiling hot though! I think you have a fever or something.” Other than argue with him the brunette manoeuvred his underwear back on and threw the duvet over him. “I really think I should tell somebody.”

“Noo _oo!_ They’ll take me to the medical platform. I hate it there…I wanna stay in my own bed.” Eli grunted and creased his brow against a stab of pain in his skull. Witnessing the struggle, a very alarmed David jumped up and did the only thing he could think to do – ask ‘are you ok?!’ in a loud voice. “Oww…”

“What was that?”

“My head…”

“You really need a doctor, let me -” Eli’s hand darted out to grab his wrist as he stepped back.

“-I don’t need a doctor! Just…don’t leave, stay here.”

“What am _I_ gonna be able to do?” His brother withdrew his hand and shuffled away, peeling back the duvet.

“Keep me company.” David looked at the offered spot sceptically, the word ‘contagion’ flashing at the back of his mind. Pushing the thought aside with a sigh, he lowered himself into the small gap on the bed next to his brother. “Tsss, you’re cold!” Eli flinched at the contact with his sticky hot skin, not able to move away on the one-man cot.

They jostled to find a comfortable position, David settling on his back and Eli on his side. Up close the blonde’s laboured breathing was more apparent, and his dark eyes stood out from the ashen colour of his face. David stayed quiet so that the other could fall asleep.

After a minute or two of stillness he turned his head carefully to check if he had drifted off, and the still-conscious Eli opened his eyes to see what the matter was.

“Go to sleep,” the brunette whispered.

“Hmm.” The response was more of a simple acknowledgement than a yes or no. David left it a little longer, almost able to hear the metronome esque ticking of the non-existent clock. When he checked a second time he was still awake.

“Eli, go to sleep.”

“I’m not tired enough.” His voice was warped by the cheek resting on David’s shoulder. He lifted his free arm to trace his fingers over the brunette’s middle, eventually coming to a stop when his stiff joints started to ache. “Hey, David?”

“What?” He had almost been falling asleep himself under Eli’s ministrations.

“Can you do me a favour?”

“…Like what?”

“Can you jerk me off?”

“Now’s not really the best time, is it?”

“Please?”

“You’re sick.”

“It might make me feel better!” Solid took a sidelong look at his pleading face and gave in.

“Fine.” He freed his arm from between them and slipped into his boxers, feeling around for his soft cock. Liquid twitched and filled out under the gentle pumping, humming appreciatively into his ear.

“Mmh, that’s good.” Some colour had returned to his cheeks in his excited state. The blonde’s random hip shuffles became little thrusts that kept in time with the slow stroking. Solid withdrew to spit on his hand, slicking the member up as best he could. “Brother~” Liquid nuzzled his face closer.

His precome stringed onto Solid’s wrist and hand, flowing fast and thick from the tip. With each pull the foreskin folded over the head, sending another wave of pleasure through his body. “Ah! Yes!” The pain was forgotten, but the illness was still there. He fucked weakly into his twin’s hand, soaking the bed with his leaking.

David felt his already high temperature rise. He didn’t want to make his condition worse, but it wouldn’t be fair to stop and leave him unsatisfied _again_ – Eli hadn’t had a chance to finish before his funny turn. The squirming and thrusting slowed to a halt, the minimal exertion becoming exhausting. “Ah…mmmhm…”

“You want me to keep going?” His panting sounded like hyperventilating, and David could sense that he was getting faint.

“Y-yeahh…I’m gonna cum.” No sooner had he finished the last word than his tired body climaxed, feeling more like a shudder than an orgasm.

David tucked him away and wiped his hand on his underwear, hoping that the other might finally be able to sleep. He tried scooting over to let Eli lie properly, but he was held (albeit feebly) in place. “ _No_ …stay like this…” An arm and leg was draped over him in an attempt to stop him from moving. “Stay like this…”


	14. Raining

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back from the dead  
> Jk I'm just really lazy

The light was still off when Eli fought to open his eyes. Behind them the dizziness continued to pound, and his body was still achy. David had fallen asleep in his limb trap, his cheeks pink with the heat that Eli was radiating.

Carefully the blonde climbed over him and toddled to the bathroom, only to wake back up in his bed. Again he got up, telling himself sternly that he had to use the toilet; and he woke back up in the same spot again. He was so tired that he kept imagining himself moving, but he wasn’t actually doing anything at all.

 _C’mon…up!_ His body felt so weak when he moved an arm over David’s chest to set the wheels in motion. For a few frightening seconds his leg didn’t even respond to his mental command. _Get up, you have to go!_ As he slowly righted himself he nearly pitched forward in a faint and clonked heads with his twin.

The spell faded as he got over the head-rush and swung himself over the brunette. It was just bright enough to see in the bathroom so he didn’t bother with the light. Pulling himself from his underwear he sighed and let go, feeling the relief wash over him.

“Eli?” David’s voice carried into the bathroom.

“ _Yhh_ – Yeah?” he wheezed and cleared his throat to be heard. When he didn’t get a reply he tucked himself away and shuffled back to the bedroom. “What is it?” David poked his head out from underneath the duvet, his eyes still heavy from sleep.

“You feeling any better?”

“A bit.” The duvet was pulled aside for him and a hand extended to invite him back under the covers. Liquid settled next to his twin, getting a kiss on the neck as a greeting. He wasn’t used to getting so much affection, but he could certainly stand more. Solid gathered a lock of golden hair and wound it round his fingers lazily.

“…Yaknow, I-” He was interrupted by a loud knock at the blonde’s door which startled the both of them.

“Eli.” Solid wormed his way back under the duvet at the sound of V’s voice.

“This is familiar,” he whispered up to his brother, who elbowed him to be quiet.

“What is it?” Liquid croaked.

“You have to pack your stuff up…you uh, have to go home.”

“WHAT?”

“David’s still asleep, he won’t answer me. Can you tell him?”

“Wait, why do we have to go _now?_ ” Eli sat up labouriously to direct his voice at the door.

“Your father’s orders, not mine. I’ll be back in an hour to get you, make sure you don’t forget anything.”

“Nonono, wait!” he half fell out of bed trying to get to the door. When he stepped out into the comparatively cold air V was already gone.

 _He wants us back?...Now? Why…He was the one who sent us away in the first place, why has he changed his fucking mind NOW?!_ His knuckles cracked under the force of his shaking fists. _He’s doing this on purpose to punish me! That_ cunt _, I’m gonna-_

“So we have to go back already?” David called over to him quietly, wresting the quilt from his head once again. “It hasn’t even been a week.” _Thanks for reminding me. There’s no way we’re leaving now…_

“No. We’re not going anywhere.” Eli shut the door and made a beeline for his bag. He’d been living out of it anyway, so packing wouldn’t take long.

“What?”

“If Venom’s coming to collect us we just need to be somewhere he can’t find us. We’ll go to the lifeboat.”

“And then what? It’s not like we can stay there forever.” Eli knew that, but so long as they could be even an hour late to their father’s summons it would be worth it. He pulled some clothes from the tangle inside the bag while David watched him intently. For some reason he still felt shy changing in front of him, even though his brother had seen him naked before.

“Are you going to pack or what?”

“Fine.” The brunette got up to collect the clothing strewn around from yesterday and ducked into the hall to his own room. As Eli tried to lift his bag his lack of strength became frightfully apparent, and he had to set it down while he adjusted. Whatever had afflicted him the day before was still having an effect on him.

When his twin returned the blonde was sitting on the end of his bed, mentally preparing himself for the walk to the lifeboat. “Ready?” Eli hummed in response and swung his luggage over his shoulder in a practiced movement, willing his legs to hold out as he joined David in leaving the building.

~

It was raining on Mother Base. The boys scurried through the downpour together, avoiding the attention of the Diamond Dogs shielding their eyes from the water. Liquid had to steady himself on his brother’s shoulder a few times, but other than that he showed no sign that something was amiss.

Taking the stairs instead of the slippery ladder was a smart move. Thankfully their lifeboat was as they had left it inside and out, untouched. Eli was the first in, immediately followed by an equally drenched David. Shaking, they lay down on the makeshift mattress side by side.

“It’s freezing in here,” Solid whispered, pulling one of the spare blankets over the both of them.

“It’ll warm up soon.” The brunette turned to face him and slid his hands up under his shirt.

“You’re even cold here.”

“Well, it’s been raining.” His skin was numb, but he could still feel the fingers tracing over it lightly. A hand glanced over his peaked nipple and he swallowed thickly, catching his twin’s smirk from the corner of his eye. David withdrew to pull the shirt up and replace his hands with his mouth. The sudden change in temperature from his lips gave Eli goosebumps.

His nipple was enveloped in the wet heat and gently sucked up into it with a strange tingling pleasure that made his breath hitch. David’s soft tongue laved over it slowly and repeatedly, until the blonde could feel himself twitching in his underwear.

With a slight change in position Eli’s upper body was pinned under him, their shared warmth spreading through their damp clothes and skin. “Mmh…that’s nice…” David pulled off with a pinch of his lips and moved to pay attention to the other side of his chest.

Using the hand that wasn’t currently trapped by his twin, Liquid rubbed at his crotch. It was surprising how good the sensation felt on his chest and he soon found himself squirming under his sibling’s mouth. The lifeboat shuddered under a particularly strong gust of wind and the brothers seized up in surprise. They gave each other the same look of concern. “W-we’re fine, the ropes are made to endure bad weather.”

Solid sat up to peek out of one of the thin windows into the sheet of grey.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.” This was Mother Base, no expense would be spared when it came to the safety of the Dogs that lived there. As if testing Eli’s faith the boat jolted again and the hatch swung right off its hinges, the two of them seeing death as they anticipated the drop to the ocean far below. Instead of death their father appeared at the doorway, soaked through and looking quite unamused.

“C’mon boys, time to go.” They sat in a mix of relief and shock, staring speechless at V from amongst the blankets.

“Wha- how did you-”

“- Find you in the same hiding spot you’ve used for years? Get out, Eli.” _He knew this whole time?!_

“No, we’re staying here.”

“In the lifeboat? Don’t be stupid.”

“We’re not going back, it’s not fair!” The blonde could never find the words to articulate exactly how he felt, and it frustrated him to no end. Venom would usually wait and listen while he tried to get it out, but today he was being especially short with him.

“Eli don’t make me come in there and drag you out myself.” David flicked his eyes nervously between the two, uncertain if he should obey V or stay with Eli.

“Why should _he_ get to decide where we go? He doesn’t even care about us!”

“We’re not talking about this again now.” In some hidden, deep part of him, Venom didn’t like the situation any better. Finally, his children living with _him_ , and suddenly they had to go back because John changed his mind. However, he was used to his erraticism; so it wasn’t too much of a surprise. The scarred man lifted a foot onto the lifeboat and made to duck inside.

“Wait, wait, we’re coming! Just – give us a sec, alright?” Eli quickly changed his tune when his father started to advance, partially out of fear of the anticipated punishment and partially out of wanting to conceal the erection he had developed while alone with his twin moments ago.

Venom grumbled and stepped back from the hatch. Already David had collected his pack and sat waiting for his brother to do the same so they could crawl out of the boat together. Under the blankets Eli tried to readjust himself in his trousers to make his _predicament_ less obvious, before gathering his things ready to leave home and go back to his prison.

~

They sat next to each other on the chopper again, shivering in the cold cabin. David had been sure that Eli would burst into tears when V hugged them goodbye, but he managed to keep his composure as they got in and watched Mother Base shrink away behind them.

For a moment during the embrace he felt the same kind of despair as the blonde over leaving, and briefly wondered if he himself would start crying too. It was easy to see why he preferred it there. Why _they_ preferred it there.

They had to walk back to the house from the drop off point. Even though it was on the mainland, even though it was part of a small community (that was obviously still shaken from the unexpected murder that had taken place recently), it still felt infinitely more isolated than a rig in the middle of the ocean.

So much had happened in such a short space of time that David felt like he was being swept up. When he tried counting how long he had even been in his new life he got confused and lost track. He wasn’t sure if it had even been more than a fortnight yet.

“Is your life always this busy?” he asked his twin.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, there’s always something going on. Like…getting moved around and all that.”

“No, it’s been pretty hectic since you showed up. Everything happening at once, almost. It can get really boring around here actually.” _Good, I could use some boring for a while._

They came to a tarmac road after a quarter of an hour, and onto a stretch of pavemented road another ten minutes after that. The LZ wasn’t exactly on the beaten track. In fact, there was a ‘PRIVATE, KEEP OUT’ sign beside the dirt road leading up to it – whether or not it was an effective deterrent remained to be seen.

The house cast a long shadow in the evening light that swallowed them up as they approached it. Snake’s vehicle wasn’t anywhere to be seen. They both commented on the empty driveway at the same time, and dropped their bags on the doorstep as Eli retrieved the key.

“What is it?” David noticed him struggling with the lock.

“It’s not working. It’s already open.”

“Was it locked when we left?” They exchanged a ‘shit, oops’ and continued inside. It didn’t look like it had been ransacked, or even inhabited since their departure. “I’m gonna check the lockboxes anyway.”

“Thinking of stealing some money again, pipsqueak?” The twins jumped at the unexpected voice, turning toward the speaker, who was blowing cigarette smoke out the kitchen window. Again David had the shock of seeing a face so strikingly familiar on someone he had never met.

“George! What the hell are you doing here?!”


	15. Letters and Love

“George! What the hell are you doing here?!”

“Am I not allowed to come for a visit every now and then?”

“I-I thought you were in Liberia.”

“I was. I got flown back over while it’s quiet out there.” Solidus’ gaze fell onto the other person in the house with little change in expression. “Solid,” was all he said by way of greeting. “I thought you’d be blonde too. Looks like you got lucky.” David gave him an awkward, forced smile that he ignored in favour of taking another drag on his cigarette.

“Hav-”

“Shut up Eli, your voice fucking _grates_ my ears.” Liquid stopped immediately, much to Solid’s surprise. “You look like shit, are you sick or something?”

“…Have you been drinking?” The bottles in various states of emptiness on the counter next to him were answer enough.

“What’s it to you? Why don’t you go upstairs and quit bothering me, both of you.” The younger brothers stayed put while George tapped the ash off the end into a dish of more squashed cigarettes. He looked their way again and got visibly irritated by their disobedience. “While Dad’s gone _I’m_ in fucking charge, and I say _go to your fucking rooms._ ”

This time they followed his order and backed away to the stairs. Their elder stubbed out his smoke and took another swig from the vodka bottle at his elbow. Once safely back in the loft they made a quick decision to go into David’s room.

“Jeez, is he always like that?”

“He can be mean sometimes, but never like _that_. I’ve never seen him this way before.” Eli cast a worried glance back at the door. “I’ve never seen him drunk before either.”

“Oh, great. This is just what we need right now.” The brunette flopped back on his pillow. His bed was much comfier than the one on Mother Base, at least. Eli lay back to join him, tucking himself under the covers. “Make yourself at home!”

“What? You don’t mind, do you?” A smile split across David’s face.

“No, I just thought you’d want to get your duck pyjamas on first.”

“Shut up.”

~

The twins ended up falling asleep, tired from their long commute. Eli was the first to go, being wrapped up in bed; and David rested his eyes beside him until he too slipped into unconsciousness. They dreamt about each other – one was in a rowing boat with his brother and a talking heron, and the other had built a treehouse in space that they could live in.

Their sweet dreams were cut short by the sound of glass breaking somewhere in the house. The noise didn’t jolt them awake harshly, but they steadily came to and waited for the mystery noise to repeat itself.

“Did you hear that?” David whispered. It was dark, so he wasn’t altogether sure if the other was even awake.

“Yeah.”

“What was it?” From downstairs they could hear loud talking.

“It’s just George. Maybe it was our father coming in, I dunno.”

“Will he get told off?”

“God, I hope so. I-” The talking was replaced by heavy, uncoordinated footsteps on the stairs. “…Is he coming up here?” They kept completely still, straining to hear what was happening. When he reached the loft stairs Eli got out from under the covers and sat back on top of them.

At the landing the noise stopped, and they held their breath curiously waiting for the next move. Instead of calling out, Solidus opened the door to Eli’s room and barged in unannounced.

“Get up, pipsqueak.”  The duvet was thrown back, revealing an empty bed. Taking a few seconds to let it sink in, he turned and make his way into David’s room; equally as unannounced. The light was flicked on and all three of them winced. “What’re you both doin’ in here? Having a little slumber party?...Or somethin’?”

It was obvious that he was extremely drunk, even before he spoke.

“…No. Did you want something?”

“Don’t talk to me like that, you lil’ shit.” George almost fell off of the doorknob and righted himself on the desk. He raised a finger and pointed at Eli. “Be careful around that one, Solid. He’s a creep.”

“Um…o-okay…” David replied uncertainly.

“Hey, Eli…c’mere. Come over here and gimme a cuddle, you haven’t said hello to me yet.” The blonde stayed on the bed, in doubt as to whether he was being serious or if he was just luring him over to punch him in the face, which seemed much more likely. In the few months he’d been away George had packed on a lot of muscle – if he would properly hit him now it would leave some lasting damage.

George left the support of the desk to sway over to the bed, his younger brothers shying away from him minutely. Eli was pulled into an uncomfortably tight hug, turning his head from the sharp smell of alcohol on his sibling’s breath. “What’re you being all squirmy for? You love cuddles, don’t you?”

“You’re crushing me!”

“ _HAHAHAHA!_ Don’t be a baby, baby brother.” There was something about his vibe that was _off_. David sat watching the scene unfold before him, confused as to what was going on. For all he knew it was like this between them all the time, maybe they were just playing.

 Then he caught a glimpse of the panicked look on Eli’s face for a split second and suddenly he was frightened too. “Why are you wriggling, pipsqueak? I thought you liked it when I touched you.”

“G-George, stop.”

“Don’t be fussy, you love it really!” A hand slipped under the blonde’s shirt to drag and press bruisingly into his skin.

“Stop, it’s not funny anymore…”

“Don’t do that,” David chimed in meekly.

“Hey, don’t pull that face guys, I’m not gonna hurt ya.” The other hand pulled the shirt up along his back so that it was bunched under his arms. Eli used the opportunity to try and escape his grasp, but George was too strong and too fast, even while drunk. “You’re my sweet little brothers, I’m here to look after you.”

“Let _go_ of me. George, let me go!”

“Stop struggling first and I will.” Eli gradually came to a halt and sat tense in the vice like grip. Slowly he was released, and he scooted away toward David. “Haha! You’re so dramatic Eli.” He dragged the blonde back by his thigh and laughed again at his expression.

“What d-do you want?”

“For you to go to bed, it’s bedtime squirts. Well? Don’t just sit there, get into bed!” The twins started moving at the same time, carefully pulling the duvet down so they could get under it. Solidus had to lean on the bedside table for a moment, rubbing his eyes jadedly. “What’re you looking at?” he grumbled at the pair of eyes watching him from the bed.

The elder soon recovered and straightened up again. “…Aren’t ya gonna give me a goodnight kiss?”

“ _What?”_ his brothers asked in unison. Before either of them could react he yanked Liquid up by his hair and drove their lips together, stabbing the taste of liquor into his mouth with his tongue. Solid yelped in surprise and Liquid spluttered, pushing against his assailant’s unmovable body desperately.

George let him go and drew away, his cold eyes boring into him as he scuttled back in alarm.

“Go to sleep.” In another display of lightning fast movement he swept out of the room, as steady on his feet as he would have been sober.

~

The desk was pushed against the door to barricade it. Neither of them said anything about what had happened - perhaps they were still too shaken up for it or there was just nothing they could really say. They lay very close together and kept casting the occasional glance over to the door.

David had his arms looped around his clone as though he could protect him from what had already occurred. He felt guilty that he hadn’t stepped in to help at all. When Eli was getting fondled he had sat back, scared; and when George had forced himself on him again all he could go was gape like an idiot. Worse than that, like a _coward_.

Eli would undoubtedly have done something for him if the situation was reversed. He would have shouted and sworn and thrown fists, though George now had the strength and experience enough to snap them both like twigs. _I don’t really have any fighting experience…except for getting beaten up by those guys at the park…but the two of us against him would stand a chance, right?_

“I never thought I’d say this, but I hope father comes home soon.” Eli’s confession brought him back from his introspection. “…Please don’t say anything to him. It’ll just make things worse.”

“What? You’re not gonna tell him?”

“No, and you’re not either. Just trust me, it’s better if he never knows.” _That doesn't make any sense! Why let him get away with it?...I guess he didn't_ actually _do anything...he's not gonna get told off for holding onto him for too long, is he?_

“Eli…”

“George has never done anything like that before. He’s drunk, it won’t happen again.”

“That’s like saying ‘oh he’s never murdered before, we’ll let this one slide and it won’t happen again.’” Eli pulled a face at him in the dark.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“N-no, it was just a random example, I-I didn’t mean-”

“- Me killing people?”

“No it wasn’t – about you, I didn’t mean to…say it like that.” Their conversation trailed off, leaving behind the eerie silence that had been permeating each corner of the big house since George had vacated the room. Not a single noise had been heard of him since, which was incredibly unnerving. At least if he was still crashing around they would have some idea of where he was and what he was doing. “Seriously, I wasn’t talking about you.”

“Whatever. Can you at least promise to keep quiet?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die.”

“Good.”

~

Solidus hadn’t been lying when he told his younger siblings his reason for returning to the States. At that moment things were at a standstill for him in Liberia, and he was wasting his time twiddling his thumbs out there. He was under no delusions as to why he was actually there – his father had sent him, intending it to be a foot-in-the-door starter experience to their inevitable shared lifestyles.

As much as he was glad to be out making a reputation for himself, he found he was a lot more homesick than he’d anticipated. In an unexpected twist of fate he found himself actually _missing_ his younger brother, too. Since his comrades would occasionally write home he was tempted to do the same. He didn’t imagine his father would reply, but it would be nice to hear from Liquid while he was so far way.

After a particularly bad day (he had been arguing strategy with companion who proceeded to prove his point by getting his head blown off mid-sentence) Solidus sat down to write two letters; one to his father to tell him that everything was fine and another to his brother to tell him the opposite.

He didn’t go into much detail with Liquid’s, just that his unit had recently had some bad luck. Reading it back he realised it was much too formal for what he really wanted to say, so he added that he loved him and he missed him, and promised that they’d talk about what he'd found in Eli’s notebook when he got home – whenever that would be.

The letter was sealed with the address of one of the many small businesses that held mail for his unit on the outskirts of their areas of operation, so that he could collect the reply. He left it a fortnight before asking after any new mail of his that had come in…of which there was none. A week later he was handed his reply, but instead of Eli’s spindly handwriting he found his father’s, along with some money.

A month passed by since sending his letter and still there was no word from his brother. He had got so impatient by this time that he was visiting the store every day, only to leave emptyhanded. It was certain that Eli had got the letter because Snake had received his, and they had been shipped in the same package. So, was he ignoring him? He _had_ asked for him to write back.

On the second month of waiting he wrote to his father again, giving him a cursory update and asking about Eli’s plans to contact him. Snake sent back more money and the news that Eli refused to write back.

Upset and enraged, he had torn up his father’s letter.

In reality the blonde had never even received the heartfelt message, which lay opened and hidden in a locked drawer of his father’s desk.


	16. Bags

The kitchen floor was refreshingly cold on his face. Solidus struggled to surface from his blackout, his elbow disturbing a glass bottle that clinked over and rolled away on the tiles. He was sure that bedrest was all he needed to cure his newfound headache.

Sluggishly he crawled out of the kitchen, turning away from the painful morning light, into the hall and over to the stairs. Using the bannister for support he got to his feet and began the slow ascent. It was quiet. Usually Liquid’s music would have been playing by then, provided their father hadn’t told him to shut up (if he was home at all).

As it turned out the household he remembered would never quite be as he remembered it again. He knew Snake had managed to track Solid down, but he had no idea he was planning on bringing him home. Seeing him shuffle in last night had been a big surprise. However, Solidus was in no mood to get acquainted with him at that moment.

Later that evening when he was well and truly plastered he’d discovered them sitting together, apparently enjoying each other’s company. That was another shock. Eli was so prickly he couldn’t make a friend if his life depended on it, leaving George to come to the conclusion that their sibling was humouring him since he’d otherwise have no one to talk to.

George _had_ been planning to finally speak with Eli, but it seemed that he was continuing to avoid it by sticking with David. Last night he had tried to frighten him, just to let him know that he couldn’t hide behind their brother forever; and of course, being drunk, he had taken it a bit too far. Hopefully he’d succeeded in embarrassing him, though.

His room was as plain and characterless as ever when he dragged himself in. He hadn’t unpacked a single thing yet, and his heavy bags were still lying where he had dumped them upon arrival yesterday before dawn. Not that it made any difference to the appearance of his room.

Somewhere, hidden in the lining of one of the trunks, he had kept the pages he had torn from Eli’s notebook. Having discovered them less than an hour before he was due to leave the house to board one of Snake’s choppers en route to Liberia, there had been no time to decide what he was going to do with them – so he took them with him.

He had been in an almost frantic rush despite being extremely prepared, since he had been so nervous to leave home. Checking everything for the thousandth time revealed that Eli had stolen something from one of his packs at the last minute. George couldn’t recall what it had been (probably something minor, it was more so the principle that mattered) but he did remember how pissed off he had been at the time.

As usual he let himself into Eli’s room, knowing he was downstairs eating breakfast. Immediately his backpack stood out as the first place to check, and he found his unimportant item straight away. _Was it a lighter?_ George tried to visualise what he had slipped into his pocket before eyeing the book tucked amongst a handful of pencils. Even though he felt the unnecessary urgency of his scheduled departure the temptation to look was just too much.

Eli had shown him some of his scribbles before, so he knew what it was used for. It was mostly just observational sketches of whatever was around him, including George himself. There were even a few anecdotes jotted down around the drawings.

As he flicked through an obscure sense of dread crept up on him, made worse by the fact that he appeared more and more frequently on each passing page. Then of course he had found what he had found and Eli came in as he was staring at the pages. George had no idea how to react, and Eli just stood in the doorway with the most horrified look on his face.

What could he do, now that time had run out? What _should_ he do? Well, ignoring the problem seemed like the best course of action, so he tore the pages out and pushed past his brother, slamming the book against his chest as he went. The blonde had called his name meekly from the top of the stairs and without turning around or even stopping he replied _‘Don’t speak to me’_.

From there he took his bags downstairs to leave. Snake pulled Eli down to say goodbye, but neither of them spoke or looked at each other so he just let him go. George left with those being his final words to his little brother before diving headfirst into a warzone.

~

Liquid felt sick all through the night. Why hadn’t Snake said anything about Solidus coming home? Was it because he was being punished, or didn’t he know himself? He would’ve hidden himself a lot fucking better on Mother Base if anyone had bothered to tell him.

Solid drifted in and out of sleep periodically beside him, his wonderful smell soaking into the sheets. The blonde wondered how it all must look to their older brother; him being so comfortable with his twin, and in such a short space of time considering just a few months ago Liquid swore he was the bane of his existence and proclaimed Solidus to be the Superior Sibling of the two.

Hopefully the _pretend it never happened_ approach would work. Solidus surely wouldn’t remember last night after all that alcohol…At least, that was the theory. Either way he was on very thin ice, and he knew that eventually he’d be cornered.

 _Stupid nosey bastard always going through my things…_ If he hadn’t pulled that stunt with the zippo, though, George wouldn’t have had reason to even go into his room. He’d planned to take it, volunteer to help look for the ‘missing’ item and return it just in the nick of time. All he had wanted was to be the useful brother before George left.

Eli slid out of the narrow bed as smoothly as he could. He really needed to use the bathroom, but that meant he’d need to move the desk and leave the sanctuary of David’s room. After holding it for as long as he could he decided he physically couldn’t wait anymore.

The desk was heavy, but it moved quietly over the carpet as it was pulled back from the door. Twisting the handle as stealthily as he could, Eli peeked through the small crack he created onto the landing outside. It was empty. His ears were pricked for any sign of life as he tiptoed down to the bathroom. George’s feet were sticking out from his room when he reached the second floor. Clearly he was passed out, so Eli carried on to his destination.

He was fully expecting his older brother to be waiting for him outside the bathroom door, George was always two steps ahead of him. There was no surprise confrontation when he exited, and it just made him more anxious. Inevitably the sword was going to fall on his head, and the suspense was a tightness in his chest that refused to settle. He hated being on edge, it reminded him too much of his time in Africa.

The feeling of vulnerability was one he was far too familiar with; he’d never have the upper hand as long as he kept dodging George. It was the same on Mother Base when he had been avoiding David – he needed to be in control, or he’d lose. _I have to win! I_ need _to!_

In a sudden flash of courage the blonde halted at the stairs, looking back over his shoulder at his brother. _He’ll be sick…He won’t remember…He won’t argue while he’s in pain._ Slowly Eli turned around and found himself creeping across the landing. _He can ruin everything -_ _David can’t know about this._

George was lying face down on the floor, stinking more of smoke and alcohol than ever. Eli wrinkled his nose in disgust and stepped over him lightly, focussing on the bags further in the room. _The pages._ He knew they had to be in them somewhere, he’d already scoured around the room countless times in the past few months. _If he doesn’t have any evidence then I’ve already won._

The zip on the first bag sounded like firecrackers in his ears as he fought to keep it silent. In the brief pauses he took to steel his nerve his heart hammered just as loudly. Pushing past the neatly folded fatigues inside he reached for a book and shook it out, hoping what he was looking for would be hidden there. All that fell out was the old bookmark that had been keeping George’s place.

Continuing the search he found a handgun with two boxes of ammunition, more cigarette packets, a combat knife and a tin of shoe polish. _Shit…_ Eli wasn’t willing to give up, so he resolved to check all the pockets and packets too. There wasn’t a hint of what he was looking for anywhere.

“What do you think you’re doing?” George’s clear voice made Eli jump, and he shot up to face his brother standing.

“Where is it?!”

“Where’s what?” he rolled over so he was lying on his back, tilting his head to watch his little brother.

“You know what! I know you have it!”

“…You won’t find anything in there. Sit down-”

“- No!” Eli didn’t want the conversation, if that’s what you could even call it, to steer in an unwanted direction. “No, just…tell me where you’ve hidden it.” The elder's expression changed subtly, and he looked up at the ceiling.

“…Why didn’t you ever respond?”

“To what?” George sighed and passed a hand over his eyes briefly.

“ _To my letter_.”

“I never got a letter, dummy.”

“Eli…”

“I didn’t get a letter!”

“We both know that you’re lying – father told me you read it and decided to do _nothing_.”

“I didn’t get a fucking letter!” Eli backed away slightly as the brunette sat up. “I didn’t get anything, I didn’t even know that you were writing us!” He couldn’t see the other’s expression now that his back was turned, and he was blocking the exit that he so desperately wanted.

“Either way, we still need to talk.”

~

Liquid was sat on the end of the bed when Solid finally opened his eyes. He nudged him with his foot under the duvet and the blonde started.

“You’re awake.” The desk pulled away from the door caught Solid’s eye.

“You’ve been out?”

“Just to the bathroom.”

“Did you see, uh, thingy anywh-” he was quickly cut off by Liquid pouncing on him and melding their lips together. “-mmph!” Liquid mouthed and squeezed at him frantically, leaving Solid no doubt that his morning wood would get put to use somehow. His stifling pjs were practically torn off of him in their struggle, and he gave just as much effort tugging at his sibling’s clothes.

Their kiss deepened until they were both lapping and moaning into each other’s mouths. Golden hair fell like a veil over his face, blocking out everything else.

They broke away for some air and Eli sat up, much to David’s disappointment. The disappointment was short-lived, though, when Eli leant down to pull his underwear away and run his tongue over his swollen length. “Ahh…” He lay his head back on the pillow and let his clone lick at him slowly. Since his gaze was elsewhere he was surprised by the mouth enveloping him, a spare hand pulling the foreskin back so it could suck at his cock.

In the haze of pleasure he gripped onto Eli’s head with both hands, curling his fingers into his hair. The blonde was still clumsy, but David couldn’t care less. “Ohh _fuck!”_ He retracted a hand to sit on his elbow and watch his brother slurp at him, carefully sinking lower on his cock all the time. Eli flicked his green eyes up at him and his stomach flipped, the pressure building unbearably in his gut.

He couldn’t keep his volume down as he reached his climax, writhing on the bed in ecstasy. Eli panicked slightly with no idea what to do with his semen, but he let it squirt into his mouth and spat it into his discarded t-shirt afterwards.

“Am I getting better?”

“Yeah…” David replied wholeheartedly. “Definitely.”


	17. Cornflakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very tired.

The twins disentangled after they’d both had their fun, waiting for their batteries to recharge for the next round. That was the good thing about having nothing to do; you could lie in bed all day and cum. David had asked Eli about school as they were watching the ceiling, and Eli had snorted in his usual way and told him not to be so stupid. All he could glean from that was either Eli refused to go or Snake had never enrolled them.

The blonde asked him to get some food as soon as his breathing had calmed, and David _was_ going to tell him he wasn’t his slave until he remembered Eli had already left the room that morning and apparently bumped into their brother. So, he sucked it up and redressed into his pjs, ignoring Eli’s smug little smile behind him.

He wasn’t altogether sure what he was expecting to find in the kitchen, but Solidus sitting and reading at the spotless counter wasn’t it. The kitchen had been cleaned of the bottles and spilt ashtrays and put back into order, looking better than it had before under the twin’s care.

Solidus looked up disinterestedly from his thick book to take in Solid’s dishevelled appearance and immediately turned his attention back to the pages. He rested his head on a fist and fiddled with the stiff paper using his other hand.

“Did he send you for his breakfast, then?”

_How did he…?_

“…No.”

“Of course he did.” He wet his thumb to turn the page and had another quick look at his younger sibling. Solid’s pyjamas were inside out, his hair was a dark mop on his head and he only had one sock on. They looked so much alike (aside from the messiness) that it almost gave him the chills. Solidus wondered if they had the same effect on their father. “Are you gonna get anything or what?”

Solid went stiffly to the fridge and peeked inside. The shelves had been cleaned and rearranged in there as well. Even so, there still wasn’t much in. “There’s cereal in the cupboard there. The third one along.” He followed the direction and pulled some cornflakes down, desperately wanting to spit abuse at him but having no idea where to start.

“What did you say to Eli earlier on?” George spoke without looking up from his book:

“Just what needed to be said between us.” There was an unspoken ‘it’s none of your business’ in his wording.

“You tried to – hurt him last night.”

“Oh _grow up_ , I was just fucking with you.” David turned back to find a bowl and pour some cereal into it. Obviously there was more going on beneath the surface than he was being told. Had George done something awful to Eli before? It certainly seemed that way. Remembering back, though, there had been nothing but admiration for him in Eli’s sketchbook.

Glancing sidelong he could see the side of his face, but it was unreadable. Venom had been the same, so he could only assume they’d gotten it from Snake. He hadn’t really seen enough of his father to be absolutely sure.

“That’s a fucking strange way to joke around.”

“This is a fucking strange family, _brother_.” David went back to shaking more cornflakes into the bowl, careful not to tip it up too much and embarrass himself with a cereal avalanche. “How well would you say you know him?”

The question caught him off-guard and he swivelled back toward George, who was watching his face acutely.

“Uhh…pretty well, I guess.”

“Hm.” The elder sibling refocussed on his book, apparently having lost interest in the subject.

“I’ve only been here for a few weeks.” In actual fact it was one day away from being a fortnight. Unbeknownst to him, George was weighing an idea in his head carefully.

“…I have something of his here. Yaknow, he annoyed the shit out of me the entire three years I’ve known him, and he still does. I suppose we were just typical brothers. That’s what I _thought_ anyway, until I found this,” he pulled a wad of folded paper from the wide spine of the book. “Have you found out he can draw yet? Well, he drew this. I came across it completely by accident, much to Eli’s horror.”

David was now engrossed in the impromptu story, absently slipping a dry, flavourless cereal flake into his mouth. “Take it, it’s yours now. _Ah-ah_ , don’t open it here; wait until you’re alone for crying out loud.” The faint amusement quickly drained out of his face now that he had handed it over, and he leant back on his fist with a sigh. “This is all his fault. I only wanted us...to be a family.”

It sounded like George was speaking more to himself than to David.

The younger clone tucked the paper into the waistband of his pyjamas and retrieved some milk for Liquid’s breakfast. _What on Earth is happening?_ “There’s no reason we can’t get along, even if he’s convinced you to hate me now. I hope that you change your mind, little brother.”

~

He was itching to see what Solidus had given him. At the back of his mind he suspected it was a joke and it would be nothing, but there was only one way to find out.

Instead of heading upstairs Solid went into the living room, through to the unused dining area behind it that looked over the back garden. The two rooms were separated by a pair of sliding doors of wood and frosted glass. He’d seen it before during his exploration of his big new house, and it had a strange lifeless feel to it. It wasn’t uninviting; Solid thought the vibe may be because no one ever went in there. Around half the rooms in the house never seemed to be used.

Setting the cereal aside on the polished dark wood table he sat down on the matching chairs and started unfolding the mystery paper. There were two sheets in the bundle. He smoothed them out and sat forward.

His body had no idea what sound to make, so it settled with a weak _EHHH_. There was no doubt that it was Liquid’s handiwork. Solid lifted the first page to see the second and made the same sound with a cringe.

“...Jesus.” He looked away to the outdated Victorian wallpaper of feathery leaves and flowers all around him and looked back at the top page. Only two people featured on the sheets – Eli and George. On each of the papers they were engaging in a variety of pornographic situations together, always rendered in extreme detail. Scrawled around each scene were paragraphs that David wasn’t sure he should read, as he was sure they could never be un-read. Of course, he had to read them now.

The image in the top left of the first page was of George alone, masturbating himself. It was linked to a line of text by a dash.

_**\- Does he suspect that I watch him? Maybe I should go in one day and offer to help.** _

In the next scene Eli was on his knees giving George a blowjob. Then, George covering his face with semen.

_**\- He’s so big, but I want to impress him. I’ve been practicing with my toothbrush – it’s not really the same because it’s too thin.** _

There was a relatively innocent one of them sharing a kiss, but it didn’t do much to dampen the shock of the others. A speech bubble slipped from the crown of George’s head (his mouth was occupied) that read ‘I love you!’.

_**\- He stood up for me today. No one’s ever done that for me but him. When we were alone I reeeaaly wanted to tell him. I will one day.** _

Something about that struck David as sad. _All_ of it did, together.

Toward the end of the first page and the start of the second things escalated. There were several drawings of them having anal sex in different positions, with Eli always being on the receiving end. Each of them must have been pencilled on different days when Eli was apparently in different moods.

_**\- I want him inside me so badly I think I’m going 2 die!** _

_**\- He’d be so gentle with me, I know it. I want him to have me completely, but he just won’t pay me any attention!** _

_**\- I think he’d like it if we did it like this. It would be sooo deep.** _

The second half of the last page was a written fantasy about the two of them making love. What was the most disturbing thing about it was the fact that it was written as though it had already happened and Eli was documenting it. In fact both pages were double sided with content, with even more incidences jotted down like diary entries. There looked to be at least a dozen scenarios in total.

 _What the_ fuck? _What_ is _this?! ._ A few even had some small illustrations paired with them.

**_\- We did it like this last night. George pinned me down and forced his way in. He’s so much stronger than me. It’s different with him because it feels good, even if it hurts me and makes me feel dirty. After I asked him why he did it and he told me he loved me too much to wait any longer._ **

David finally tore his eyes away and looked out the window down the garden. A cat picked its way through the growing grass, holding something feathery in its teeth. He felt nauseous. In his hands he held Eli’s uncensored imagination, the venting place for whatever he truly felt. Could _any_ of this be true? No, it could be. Then again...things weren't all that different with _them_.

George had found this without meaning to, and it had caused whatever rift lay between him and the blonde. Eli had fabricated a relationship with him and written it down in his private sketchbook. Reading it one got the impression that, at times, Eli believed it was all true. _This is so fucked…_ At a loss for what else to do David re-folded the papers and collected the now soggy cereal, getting up from the table to go back into the kitchen.

George was still in the same spot, albeit many pages further into the book. The paper was skid across the counter to him and the cornflakes poured down the sink.

“I don’t want it,” he said without looking up from his book.

“ _I_ don’t want it.” A beat. David rubbed his mouth nervously and pulled up a stool on the opposite side of the counter. “Why did you give it to me?”

“Not sure. To show you what he’s like, I guess. Do you want me to go into this or…?” the elder scanned over his face quickly to determine the best course of action.

“No, but I can’t not know now.”

“...Alright. Let’s go for a walk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm interested to hear what any of you thought would be on the pages. The reveal has happened but comment what your theories were! <3


	18. Ghosts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's just a quick look into what life was like for Eli and George living together.  
> Basically George tries to scare the shit out of him because he's bored and Eli's irritating.

_1985_

George’s little brother was odd, to say the least. Now that they had known one another for nearly a year he was slightly more used to him, but he doubted it was possible to be completely used to Eli.

He was already technically an adult, and Eli was just 13. They didn’t have the same hobbies, they didn’t have the same tastes; they didn’t even have the same nationality. They had next to nothing in common except for their father. And still Eli insisted on pushing his way into what felt like his every waking moment.

“What are you doing?” The blonde’s face materialised at his doorway, not bothering to knock or announce himself as usual (though the door had been open already).

“What’s it look like?” George, sat comfortably on his bed, wiggled the book he had in his lap.

“ _Boooooring!_ I’m bored – can we do something?”

“No. Find a way to amuse yourself.”

“There’s nothing to do!”

“You have toys upstairs don’t you? Dad just bought you a box of plastic soldiers.”

“I hate them.”

“What a surprise,” he muttered to himself sardonically. “There’s always something to do, I’m sure you can find it.”

“There really isn’t. This place is so boring even the _neighbours_ will probably commit suicide because their brains are melting.”

 _We don't have any neighbours, dummy_. At that thought George had an excellent idea to distract his little sibling, and maybe even get some payback for his annoyance. Somehow he managed to keep himself from grinning at his swift brilliance, and pulled his most convincing look of worry.

“Who told you that?”

“What?...No one, I was – what do you mean ‘told me’?”

“So you didn’t know? Well, I won’t tell you then.” He turned his eyes back down to his book.

“Tell me what? _Please_ , you have to tell me now!” George felt the corners of his mouth twitching to smile. _I’ve got him. That was easy._

“Have you ever seen our neighbours?”

“…Uh…I think so.”

“Are you sure? Have you ever seen anyone else on the street, or any cars in their driveways?” From George’s window there was a clear view of their neighbourhood, and Eli ran his gaze over the other houses as best he could from the doorway. There were indeed no cars in any of the driveways, and the grass was always overgrown. Thinking back over his brief time at the house he couldn’t remember seeing anyone else coming or going either.

“No…t-the houses are empty, I think.”

“Exactly. That’s because…no, I don’t think I should tell you.”

“That’s not fair! Please, what is it?” The blonde tiptoed in further to hear what he had to say.

“I don’t wanna scare you.”

“I’m not scared of anything!” Eli puffed his chest out in a display of his bravery, an action that didn’t quite have the effect he wanted because he was so short and skinny. Obviously he was somewhat unaware of his own unthreatening appearance because he never wore a shirt.

“If you insist.” George looked around him as though he were checking for eavesdroppers before he began, and Eli was so under his spell that he did the same as he crept even closer, although they were completely alone in the house most of the time. “There used to be people living in those houses, before you moved here. They were just normal people. Then, one night, every single one of them _died_.”

“That’s not true!” Eli drew back slightly, frowning at him. “It would have been on the news!”

“You weren’t here yet, remember? And you don’t watch the news.”

“How can a whole street of people die at once? And how come _you_ didn’t die?”

“Dad took me out on training that night.”

“How did they die then?”

“They all died…of fright.”

“You can’t die of fright!” Eli snorted. “That’s stupid!”

“Yes you can. You have a heart attack when you’re scared, right?”

“What scared them all at the same time then?”

“No one knows.” The blonde checked the room around him again in the following silence, feeling cold all over.

“You’re just saying this to scare me, aren’t you?”

“You were the one who wanted to know!”

“Why did you bother bringing it up?”

“Because I wanted you to know that you shouldn’t go into those houses.”

“But they’re empty.”

“Not exactly – they’re _haunted_.”

“No they’re not! There’s no such thing as ghosts, you’re lying!” He wore the most genuine look of concern that Solidus felt bad for teasing him. Then he remembered all the times Liquid wouldn’t leave him alone and felt better.

“If you don’t believe me, fine. But there’s only one way to find out for sure.”

“…H-how?”

“We’ll have to go into a house ourselves to prove it.”

“WHAT? _No. Way!_ ”

“You’re not scared are you? I thought you just said you weren’t scared of anything.”

“ _I’m not_ scared of anything,” Liquid snivelled petulantly.

“Then let’s go.”

“Really? But…isn’t that trespassing?”

“When has that ever stopped you before? Even barbed wire and electrics isn’t enough to keep you out, if I’ve heard correctly.” Solidus marked his page and set the book down, standing up from the bed. He was that much taller than Liquid that the younger had to crane his neck to look at him. “If you want to go we can go – as long as you’re not a coward.”

“Of course I’m not! I’ll prove it right now.”

“No, not now; wait until its dark.”

“Dark? Like night time?”

“Duh! It’ll give you plenty of time to find a flashlight.”

~

Now that he was out on the street he was a lot less sure of his stubborn decision, despite the glaring security of the streetlight. Both he and George had bulky spotlight torches each that they had found in the garden shed and loaded with new batteries.

“Which one should we go in? It’s your decision.” Eli scanned along the road carefully. All the houses looked pretty much the same to him.

“What about that one?” He pointed to the one closest to their own house, diagonally opposite across the street.

“Good choice. C’mon.” George stepped into the road and out of the reach of the streetlight. Eli scurried to keep up, feeling the darkness close in behind them. Instead of walking up the drive the brunette stuck to the side of the house, disappearing toward the rear. “We’ll go in the back way, so we don’t have to break the front door.”

There was no light whatsoever there, so they both flicked on their torches. Eli used the beam to inspect the featureless back yard as George used the butt of his spotlight to smash the glass of the patio door and unlock it from inside. “Alright, it’s open. Don’t slip on the glass here.” Together they crunched over the shards.

The room they arrived in was bereft of furniture, as the rest of the building would be. George knew that no one had really ever lived there – no one had lived anywhere along the street, except for maybe a few crackheads who broke into the houses for somewhere to stay. Honestly he was surprised that the door hadn’t already been broken; perhaps it was because it was within view of the one house that clearly had occupants.

As he understood it the neighbourhood had been built for the wealthy as a prime spot in a secluded and quiet town. The perfect suburban mansion. No one previously living in Los Prados could afford such a place far on the outskirts of their community, understandably, so the housing was advertised in high-end agencies and columns to draw in potential buyers. Then their father moved in and every trace of the real estate advertising vanished, and the houses were taken off the market. He wasn’t sure if they had all been bought by Big Boss to keep them empty and give him privacy, but he wouldn’t be surprised to learn it.

“There’s nothing in here,” Eli whispered beside him. “Where’s all their stuff?”

“It’s already been taken by their families, dummy. It’s been, like, a year since then.”

“Oh.” George led the way further in, checking the corners for any unexpected guests. He just wanted Eli to finally cave and admit he was scared, not be ambushed by junkies. It had been a very long time since he’d even spotted any hint of another life on the street though – their father made sure the houses were cleared of unsavoury characters for their safety. Back when he first moved in he could hear teams of Outer Heaven soldiers _moving them along_ with their bullets in the night. Maybe now they knew to stay away. Maybe even they thought it was haunted.

Apart from a few cobwebs there was nothing of note to see. The brunette was disappointed; it would be much spookier with some props to work with. One look at Eli’s face however and it was easy to see the experience was more than spooky enough for him. “…How would you even fight a ghost? The knife would go right through them, right?”

“I don’t think you can fight ghosts.”

“Then why are we here? What if- what if we get hurt?”

“Stop being a scaredy-cat.”

“I’m _not_ scared!” he hissed back, quickly lowering his voice again. “I just think this is a dumb idea.” The island counter in the next room threw a confusing shadow was Eli passed his light over it, and he fought to keep his imagination in check.

“- Let’s go upstairs, there’s nothing on this floor.”

“Wait. _Wait_ , don’t walk so fast!”

Much to George’s pleasure all of the doors on the second floor were closed. Now he could make a show of opening them.

“Which corridor first?” The house had the same layout as their own in reverse, except that the loft hadn’t been converted.

“Open that one.” Liquid gestured with his torch to the room that would be his brother’s in their own home. His older brother made sure he reached for it slowly, adding as much dramatic effect as he could. Liquid’s body was strung taught as a bow string waiting to see what was awaiting them on the other side.

Solidus threw the door open so quickly he noticed his sibling jump behind him, and he sneered to himself. _Wimp_. “There’s nothing in there,” Liquid stated the obvious again after whipping his torch beam around inside.

“They must already know we’re here…”

“ _What?”_

“They must be watching us.” George was enjoying this immensely. Eli was not.

"What do you mean they're watching us!?" He took his older brother’s hand and pressed himself as close as he could. Goosebumps prickled all over his skin. “I want to go home now.”

“C’mon ya big baby, we haven’t even seen anything yet.” He tried to disentangle his hand, but Eli had too firm a grip on it.

“ _Please_ George, let’s go!”

“You can go if you want, you know the way home.”

“I’m not going by myself. Please, please, I don’t like it here.” As he was whispering George tilted his head to focus on a faint noise coming from downstairs. _Is it my imagination?_ “Take me home, I – what’s wrong?”

“I thought I heard something.” Eli whimpered and moved in front of him to protect himself from the rest of the house, still holding onto him.

“I hate this…George, I’m really scared!” _Yes, finally! He said it, he’s afraid!_ “What was that noise?...I wanna go home, I really really want to go…” By the torchlight he took another look at Eli’s face to soak up his victory and realised he may have gone a bit far with this game. His face was white with fear and he was quaking, pressed against him for some security.

Eli was an experienced warrior – so why did the thought of the undead disturb him so much, when he had taken lives himself? _Maybe it’s because you can’t fight a ghost. Or maybe he just has a weird fear of them._

“ _What are you two doing here?”_

“AAAAAH!” they both started at the rough voice and George snapped around to aim his torch at it. Eli dropped his on the floor. A tall figure stood across the landing in the pitch black, covered in blood.

It took a second for them to recognise him as their father.

“ _Jesus_ …please, _never_ do that again!” the eldest son wheezed.

“Why are you in here? Are you teasing Liquid?” Eli had never moved as fast as he did then, darting toward Snake and gripping onto his arm. The gun holstered on his thigh was a lot more comforting than his brother's hand - plus he knew Snake could win any fight. There was something much more reassuring about his father, as safe as he may have felt with Solidus.

“Take me home!”

“Alright kid, calm down.” Snake stopped his shaking by placing the gloved hand on his shoulder, and Eli felt the bubble of relief envelop him.

“How did you know we were in here?” George picked up the fallen torch as he spoke.

“I could see your lights through the windows. You get back too – and don’t let me catch you sneaking around these houses again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick glimpse into what they were all like together before the year that the story is set in. It'd be nice to start building on the weird love/hate relationship that Snake has with Eli and the rest of his children. Complicated shit.
> 
> Also I drew what the twin's rooms are supposed to look like kinda so check that out if you want:  
> https://ialsoshotthedeputy.tumblr.com/post/166300872618/a-really-rough-untidy-idea-of-what-the-twins


	19. Forgive or Forget

David was still in his pyjamas when they stepped out into the street. As they crossed through the porch he had a few seconds to stuff his feet into some shoes and follow after him through the door. There was no one else on the street, as usual. He was beginning to think that they were the only ones actually living in the outskirt neighbourhood.

“So, why did we have to go outside for this again?”

“We didn’t, I just need to stop smoking inside.” A cigarette had materialised between his lips and he brought his hands up to cup a flame and light it. “We’re not allowed to smoke inside. I gotta start airing the house out before Dad comes home.” George stood waiting for his brother to catch up as he crunched over the gravel of their driveway.

“ _He_ smokes inside.”

“He does a lot of stuff we’re not supposed to.”

“…Does he kill people?” George watched his face curiously, and found it much harder to decipher than his twin counterpart’s – though not impossible. He saw an expectant fear there, and he guessed David already knew the answer to the question.

“Are you asking if that’s one of the things we shouldn’t do? Because a little birdy told me Eli’s already broken that rule recently.” The memory of the event came flooding back to the younger sibling, and the ever observant George took in every minute emotion that played across his face. “Were you here when that happened? Did you see it?”

“W-what’s with all these questions? Just get on with your story or whatever.” He didn’t like the way George interrogated him. At least, it felt like an interrogation. _What use would he have for my useless information anyway?_

“Alright then. There’s not a whole lot to say other than Eli’s a bit of a headcase. Let me preface this by saying that he’s not exactly had the merriest upbringing, so he can’t take all the responsibility for it. I think he should still be getting help, but that’s just me.

“He gets sort of…attached to people, he latches onto them and becomes obsessed. Never like _that”,_ he jerked his head back toward the house, “before, but he has. The first time it was a few years ago with Venom – you’ve met him, right? That’s where you were coming back from yesterday? Anyway, he just couldn’t bear it whenever Venom went away; which was all the time. It got so bad that he wouldn’t talk to anyone unless he was there, and then he wouldn’t _eat_ until he came home. Venom had to stop taking missions because Eli was starving himself half to death.”

George stopped to take another puff of his receding cigarette before diving back into it. “That’s when he was moved away from Mother Base to live here. There’s never been any such problem between him and father, for whatever reason. He’s been nothing but a brat to him since day one.”

“He’s not exactly nice back!” David recalled the splotchy red marks Eli had received after a scolding from Snake. That had been the first night he’d invited Eli into his bed.

“A bit of discipline never hurt anybody.”

“Except for when it does.”

“Look, do you want to listen or not?” David crossed his arms and pouted in a way that was strikingly familiar, but stayed quiet. “Right. So, he comes to live here. Eventually he got over his attachment to Venom. He gets moved back and forth every so often to stop it happening again, but…obviously it didn’t work this time. Looking back I guess it was easy to see that something was going on. He never really left my side for long. Once I caught him- well, let’s just say he was doing something he shouldn’t in my room. I didn’t think much of it at the time, I thought he was just, I dunno, trying to prank me or something…”

“What are you talking about?”

“It doesn’t really matter now.” George looked back at the house, unchanged since his arrival over three years prior. The house that Big Boss had bought specially to keep his wayward children in, apart from the rest of the world. _His_ world. Even though he was king there his little princes weren’t safe wandering around an unpredictable battlefield of bullets and backstabbing. It made sense to hide them away while he prepared them for life as a supersoldier.

“Is that all?” Solid’s question brought him back from his reminiscing slightly, and he gave him a quick once over before the thought faded from his mind. It was hard to imagine this boy, dressed in in scruffy pyjamas with uncombed hair and saliva from his sleep dried onto his cheek, would strike fear and awe into the hearts of soldiers at the mention of his name, the way their father did. The way their father wanted them all to one day. Maybe Solid would surprise him.

“Did he stay in your room last night?”

“Yeah, why?” he shot back.

“You’re friends right? Get along well?”

“Yeah.” He bristled, and Solidus could feel his discomfort. “What of it?”

“Nothing. Just checking.”

“…Right. I’m going back in.”

“You know you can come to me if he tries anything, ok?” he slipped in before the younger brother had taken his first step.

“Whatever,” Solid replied under his breath, trudging over the grey chunks of gravel to the front door. Solidus’ offer was coming from a place of protection, but the suspicion he appeared to harbour made him nervous. As he passed through the hall to the stairs he spotted the pages lying unattended on the kitchen island. He swiped them up.

~

“You’re back finally.” Eli glanced up from the comic he was perusing out of boredom when his twin came back in. “Took you long enough. Hey – where’s my breakfast? That was the whole reason you went down!”

David paused his advance toward the bed to flick the pages at him, watching the colour drain out of his face. “How did you get this?”

“Guess.” Eli reached out and crumpled the familiar notebook sheets in a hand. _NO NO NONONO!_

“…I can explain. This-this was just…a game. Whatever he told you, it’s not true!”

“A game?”

“Yeah! It’s not serious! I _swear,_ I-I...there’s nothing to do in this fucking house, so I did this to pass some time. I was just bored, that’s all!”

“That’s a pretty weird thing to do out of boredom.”

“I didn’t mean for anyone to find it. I don’t know what I was thinking!” He stopped for a moment to let yet another sickening swell of panic crash over him. _Why is this happening? That fucking paper is ruining my life!!!_ “Please don’t tell father! Promise me; he can’t find out! He’ll absolutely kill me – no, worse! He’ll send me away from here forever, and you’ll all forget about me!”

David thought back to the conversation between him and George just a few minutes earlier as Eli was pleading with him over and over. George had alleged that Eli had something wrong with his head, and he needed help. ‘He can’t take all the responsibility for it’, he’d said. So, were the drawings and the fantasy a symptom of this sickness? Did it really mean that the blonde couldn’t be blamed? David couldn’t imagine any kind of illness making him do something like that, but then again he didn’t know much about this kind of illness.

What he’d seen on the pages had creeped him the fuck out, but now it also made him feel sorry for his twin. It was obvious that Liquid was very lonely. Why else would he have touched him and masturbated him that night, and started their strange sexual bond so soon? Sickness and loneliness were the perfect recipe for their disastrous pairing. Solid knew he was lonely himself. Being with Liquid filled some hole in his heart that he’d had for as long as he could remember. He hoped it was the same for Liquid. It was a nice feeling.

Big Boss wouldn’t hear about this from him. They had bigger secrets to hide.

“Alright, I promise I won’t tell him. You can stop now.”

“Are you sure?”

“What? _Yes_ , I’m sure!”

“Ah!” he leapt up to wrap his arms around Solid and squeeze him hard. “Thank you, brother! Thank you! You’ve really saved my ass this time!”

“ _Ow Eli I can’t breathe_.”

“Sorry.” Once released from the strangle-hold he rubbed his sore neck pitifully. Liquid wasted no time at all, ripping the accursed pages up into confetti. Still holding the pieces he went downstairs and flushed everything down the toilet. He chuckled as the evidence melted in the water and vanished from existence. _There. Like it never even happened. I win._

~

Neither of them bothered to get dressed that day. In fact, Eli decided to spend it in his underwear. That’s what he usually did when he did nothing. He’d managed to muster the courage to ask David if anything had changed between them. David had said no. This was before he’d taken his clothes off; he had enough sense to predict how awkward it would be if he stripped off and then asked him. The response seemed genuine to him.

Earlier that morning George had tried to explain that he wasn’t mad at him while Eli was steadily dying of shame. Hearing it came as such a relief, even if he was trying to pick a fight with George to distract from his mortification at the time. It was extremely embarrassing that his brother – both his brothers – knew about his stupid notebook, but if he could keep things the same with his twin then he was willing to try and forget (not that he wouldn’t try and pretend it didn’t exist from now on anyway).

“Have you ever written anything like that about me?” David piped up where he was sat playing with a Rubik’s cube on his bed. Eli had been on the brink of falling asleep next to him when his voice brought him back.

“What was that?”

“Have you ever, yaknow, written something…like _that_ about me? Or drawn anything?”

“No,” he answered truthfully. It wasn’t that he hadn’t for any particular reason, he just hadn’t found the time. Eli wondered if that disappointed him, it was not easy to tell by his neutral puzzle-solving face. “I’d rather do all that stuff with you for real.” _That_ made him smile. David flicked his blue eyes down to his twin and found that he was smirking too.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Eli ran a hand upward along the inside of his thigh and watched his pupils dilate with excitement. “That would be a lot more fun.”

“ _All_ of the things you wrote about?” David had turned bright red, but the little smile was still there. Hastily he thought back over what he had actually put down on paper. Certainly everything he could think of, if he remembered rightly.

“Sure. Wouldn’t you?”

“Umm…” he shrugged sheepishly, his blush deepening. “Y-yeah I guess.” A grin split across the blonde’s face, and he hoisted himself up from his reclined position to bring their faces together. David automatically turned his head toward the kiss but drew back at the last second, hesitating. “Wait, what if someone comes in?” They glanced at the unattended door. “We could get caught. Maybe we should wait until night time.”

“It never bothered you before.”

“No one used to barge in without knocking before - except for you. Plus we always do it at night.”

“We can block it with the desk again.” _Please don’t make me wait now, for God’s sake!_

“What about the noise?” Eli got up and strode out of the room, leaving his twin to sit in confusion while he gathered up his turntable from his room. He came back in juggling it with a few records in his arms and set everything down on the desk, which he rounded to push up against the doorway. _There we go, brother. Now you have no reason to complain_. It was a stretch to plug the turntable into the nearest wall socket, but he managed to get everything set up. A record was selected at random, and the volume was adjusted to drown their voices out from outside; but not so much that Eli couldn’t hear him moaning.

He went back over to the bed wearing his usual smirk, choosing to sit himself on David’s lap rather than sit back beside him. The Rubik’s cube was dropped under the bed, forgotten. David needlessly held him steady by his hips, regarding the body that was perched on his groin with delight.

Eli was a lot leaner than the average fifteen year old boy. There was a lot more definition to his wiry muscle because of it, but it also had the effect of making him seem bony. David wasn’t all that different in that department (or any department really), except he wasn’t as well defined as his clone. In that respect he was actually healthier. The remark their older sibling had made on Eli starving himself in the past came back to him and suddenly he wasn’t enjoying the moment as much.

Thankfully Eli was there to distract him by continuing the kiss that he’d interrupted before. He could feel the noises the other was making against his lips more than he could hear them above the music. The fair haired snake braced himself on the headboard and began to slowly grind himself down into his brother’s lap. _Whatever you do don’t crush him. That’ll ruin the fucking mood real quick._

Through the thin set of fabrics separating them he could feel Solid filling out. One of the hands stationed at his hips slid down to search blindly for him in the front of his underwear. They pulled apart from their clumsy kiss for a breather. Somehow they always succeeded in accidently biting each other as they suffocated together. Well, it was only an accident some of the time on Liquid’s part.

Liquid fell back to push his underwear off, and the brunette got an excellent view of his butt as he lifted his legs and fought to unhook them from his feet. He hadn’t had a good chance to properly appreciate his bare ass before, so he made sure to make up for it now. The supine brother righted himself once again, expecting his twin to have used the time to strip off as well - and finding him mesmerised instead. Liquid preferred it that way. At least now he wasn’t the only one who was easily distracted by the other’s butt.

Once they were both suitably naked they reached for one another’s erection and started to tug at it in a tight fist. Despite what they had done on Mother Base it still felt strange to lock eyes in broad daylight while they were… _playing_. It was Liquid’s turn to be bashful now. He never had been a fan of eye contact.

Solid stopped to wet his hand with his tongue, as he usually did. The saliva made it slip over him perfectly, and Liquid’s hips started to jerk with the pleasure of it. His whisper of _David_ was lost underneath the music, but his twin saw it nonetheless. He caught him mouthing a response that he couldn’t quite hear, a confession that he was already close to his limit.

“Huh?” Eli held onto the top of the headboard again so he could lean in to listen, his hard panting making it difficult.

“I said…I think I’m gonna cum soon!” he squeezed him in his fist and Eli beat him to it, tensing up and biting down on the wooden bedframe with a groan. The varnish gave slightly under the pressure and left small indents beneath his teeth. Their semen joined on David’s tummy when he followed a while after, twitching under Eli’s fingers.

Still neither of them were able to last any decent amount of time being so fresh, but they found the little sessions to be the most concentrated fun they’d ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd appreciate your comments because I'm sad and I love the validation  
> <3


	20. The Lake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking of using a plot idea that I dropped for my other fic...Hopefully it won't feel repetitive

A full week after he’d come home George finally decided it was time to buy some more food. He left early to get the task out of the way, taking a wad of cash from the lockbox. The money was replenished each time Snake came home specially for the sake of getting food and toiletries.

Instead of getting a few essentials at the petrol station as he usually did he decided to go to the shop even further in town. It was just big enough to warrant a few trollies for customers to wheel around. Perfect for the bulk buy he was planning.

The walk there was nice. He hadn’t seen a street look so clean for a long time – the area he patrolled in Liberia wasn’t exactly up to the same standard as the small American town. It was so quiet too… At the foot of a car park sat the shop: a typical convenience store with ‘mart’ in the title. As he was about to step past the thin automatic doors something caught his attention on the newspaper stand outside.

**LOCAL TEEN GETS LIFE IN SHOCKING MURDER CASE**

**See full story on pages 15-16**

There was a mugshot of the accused, younger than him, bruised and beaten with a badly broken nose. He smiled to himself. _Eli’s handiwork._ It was the first thing he added to his trolley.

~

“I’ll write ‘dummy we’ve gone swimming’.”

“No, don’t say that.”

“You think I should add ‘don’t come after us’ under it?”

“No! Just say that we’re going to the lake.”

“Too late I’ve already written it.”

“Eli!” The scrap of paper was snatched up from the counter for him to read. Luckily the second part hadn’t been jotted down.

“Put your shoes on already, I’d like to be out of here sometime _today_. Get that stupid sweatband off your head too, you look like – like our father!”

“I’ve never seen him wear a sweatband.” David pulled it off of his forehead and pinged the elasticated band it at his twin.

“It’s a bandana. It doesn’t matter, just hurry up.”

They bustled out of the house carrying a pack between them for their towels, a pair of oars, an inflatable dingy and a foot pump to blow it up once they got there. David had been dying to go to the lake since he arrived, and he’d finally got Eli to agree to go with him. Eli had been uncertain about taking him because he knew the route to the lake, even if they avoided going through the wood he liked to sit in, would take them past the park.

Their conversation got quieter as they neared it over the field. It looked unchanged save for the muddy patches that the police and reporters had trampled into the grass. The remnants of a strip of yellow _crime scene – do not cross_ tape was tied to the park fence. “We might as well go through the woods now that we’re here. It’s quicker.”

His brother had become utterly silent now that they were actually there, circling around the circle of black dirt that had once been a wide pool of blood. Despite David’s discomfort Eli found himself sneering, picturing a chalk outline on the ground to complete the image.

He didn’t regret it; he didn’t regret any of the people he’d killed. It was just a pity he hadn’t done it sooner. That group had been heckling him for a long time. By some miracle George had been there to jump in the first time they met - he had been sent to retrieve Eli from the woods for his every-so-monthly swap over to Venom and managed to catch up to him and grab him before he started throwing fists. The boys had been scared off by the presence of the older brother. George told Snake all about it as he always did and Snake had warned Eli that ‘if you so much as _look_ in their direction, I’ll make you regret it’.

In retrospect the threat was an excellent idea on Snake’s part; he had gone all that time steadfastly ignoring the group and forgetting his pride to obey his father. He shouldn't be drawing outside attention to himself by getting into fights, he was there to be kept hidden (and therefore safe).

Thank God they’d given him an excuse to get rid of them. Of course Snake had still been furious, excuse or no. He’d struck Eli across the face with the back of his gloved hand and caught his arm as he fell in his inhumanly strong grip. That’s what had given Eli the red marks.

Then came the worst part…the lecture. It always ran along the same lines. _I have enough problems without you causing blah blah blah I told you not to blah blah blah why can’t you be more like your brother?_ The guilt trip was always worse than the occasional slap to him. Sure, he could go without the smack, but he’d come to prefer it to the verbal section of his punishments.

During his bout of introspection he ran on autopilot through the wood to the lake. David took a few sneak peeks at him to try and figure out what he was thinking. Obviously it was about the murder, but _how did he feel_ about what he did?

“Do you think there are alligators or crocodiles in this lake?”

“Excellent point brother, maybe it’s been infected with piranhas too.”

“C’mon, it’s a serious question!”

“No, not to the best of my knowledge. Why would I agree to swim in croc-infested waters?”

“Honestly it wouldn’t surprise me if you did, Eli.” He got a playful shove that nearly toppled him into the ferns.

“Very funny. You won’t be laughing once you witness my excellent swimming skills.” Eli flicked his hair back proudly, twirling the oar he was holding like a baton. David snorted, and the blonde narrowed his eyes at him. “I’ll certainly swim circles around _you.”_

“Is that a challenge?”

“No, it’s a fact.” The trees thinned out as they reached the bank of the lake, their higher branches hanging over the water. There was a rope tied to the canopy to their left so that one could run down the bank with it and swing over the surface.

Other than the two of them there was no one there. It wasn’t very big, and it really wasn’t a place for a picnic – there was nowhere flat to sit save a small wooden jetty extending from another path through the wood. This path led to another road further in the town, a different route to the one the snakes had taken. “Alright.” Eli dumped the deflated dingy and the pump at the base of the rope swing tree. “Get pumping.”

“I’m not doing it.”

“I had to carry it!”

“And I’ve had to carry _this,_ ” he dropped his cargo next to the dingy, the tree trunk saving it from rolling into the water. Eli grumbled to himself and crouched down to attach the foot pump.

“We’ll take it in turns, then.”

Ten minutes and a tired leg each later and the dingy was ready to set sail. The oars could float, so there was no risk of them being lost. Liquid took a running jump into it and it sped away from the bank, leaving Solid stranded on dry land. “Ha ha!”

“Mutiny!” Solid called after the dingy, losing sight of his brother as he lay down in the boat to relax. He waded into the lake after him, hissing at the cold. The water was dark but clear, getting steadily deeper as the soft muddy sand dropped away underfoot. Once he was submerged up to his stomach he dived in completely, kicking off the bottom to push himself through the water.

He surfaced a few meters from the dingy, swimming as quietly as he could up to the rubber rim. Liquid’s feet hung over the back, and he grabbed onto one to hoist himself into the boat as well. It was awkward with the constant swaying of the inflatable and his twin’s surprised squawking but he eventually managed to flop down inside, bringing a slosh of water in with him that made Liquid yelp.

“You’re going to sink us!”

“No I’m not! It’s fine, see?” The rocking stopped and they drifted randomly about the otherwise flat water. They lay side by side on the bed of the dingy, watching the clouds float across the sky. Somewhere nearby David could hear the small stream running into the lake, and birds and insects chirped all around them in the wood. “Can you even swim? You haven’t been in yet.”

“ _Of course I can.”_

“We’re quite far out. Do you want me to pull us back to shore?”

“I can swim, alright?” The moment of peace was disrupted when Eli sat up and rolled out of the dingy abruptly. His head broke the surface and he spat some water at his brother. “See?” David abandoned the boat too and they watched it slink away. “Nice one.”

“We’ll get it later.”

They spent much of their excursion racing each other around and throwing themselves off the swing and the jetty, interspersed with rests on the dingy. David watched his twin’s face as they lay crammed into the rubber boat again. Eli had his eyes closed, his wet hair clinging to his forehead. _He looks so_ … The brunette couldn’t find the words he wanted to describe him, so he settled with _pretty_. His diamond earring had been swapped out for a round stud made of gold. _They’re probably both real aren’t they, not a cheap fake._ “Is that new, that earring?”

“No, I’ve had it a while. George got it for my last birthday.” David pulled a little face to himself. After the revelation of last week it was obvious to him that Eli loved their older brother. He didn’t know how to feel about that.

~

‘Dummy we’ve gone swimming’ read the note that had been left on the floor of the main hallway when he finally got back. The twin’s breakfast dishes sat unwashed in the sink. _Looks like I’m playing the house maid again. What a surprise._

George set the armfuls of shopping down and began to unpack, sorting it into the appropriate cupboards and shelves. _Gone swimming, huh…_ There was something that had been playing on his mind for a while. A few things, actually.

Firstly, there was something suspicious about the fact that David was still friendly with Eli after seeing the pages. _Very_ suspicious. Surely there should be at least a few days of awkwardness between them if they were going to put it behind them at all. He had been observing them closely all week, watching and listening their comings and goings from his quiet distance. There wasn’t much to see other than that they were buddies. Maybe they bonded over the blonde’s music; they certainly played it loud enough.

Secondly Eli had been acting weird around him, more so than usual. He wouldn’t follow him around anymore and he wouldn’t talk to him unless it was a one word answer. In fact it seemed like he was avoiding him. George had always thought that he’d welcome the peace and quiet if it ever came, but now that it had he hated it. Why should _he_ be punished for something that Eli had done? It was as though Eli had exchanged him for David.

He had done everything for Eli in their father’s absence – cooked for him, cleaned for him, kept him company, sat with him when he was sick. In a sense _he_ had been his Eli’s father for all those years. George knew that none of Snake’s clones could have children. He would never be able to pass his legacy on to a son of his own one day, and it tore him up. As far as he was concerned his little brothers were the next best thing. Needless to say he didn’t appreciate being pushed away.

The idea he was playing with was dangerous, and George knew he didn’t understand it fully. This time he tried to think it over for longer before making a decision than he had when he handed David the pages – which he had immediately regretted and tried to reverse by giving David some more context. If this went wrong then it could ruin the lives they were living in that house. But if it went right things could go back to how they were before.

To set his plan in motion first he would have to tell his father about what he had found in Eli’s notebook.


	21. Digging for Bullets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When it comes to the ponies I speak from experience. They're very sweet.

When he spotted the familiar cattle-grid outside the window he got excited. Exmoor was one of his favourite places. There wasn’t much to see outside in the pitch black except for the occasional sign or fence illuminated by the car’s headlights. His first thought upon coming around from his nap and realising where they were was _ponies_. Wild moor ponies there were friendly and liked to come over to people for a stroke. They often got spooked by Eli because he was a loud child, but he got to smooth one every now and then.

“Are we going to see the horses?” he asked sleepily from his booster seat in the back. His handler stayed quiet.

They finally slowed to a stop, bumping lightly over the grass verge by the side of the grit road. He had his seatbelt undone for him and he slipped out into the bitter cold in his thin onesie. The grass was wet under his bare feet.

He took his handler’s hand as they walked away. Out of the close-knit circle that were tasked with caring for him, he had to say that this one was his favourite. They were much more fun than the others, and they were nowhere near as distant.

The high beams from the car lit their way through the complete, remote darkness of the moor. A shallow river ran in their path, only a few metres across and not even a metre deep. “Where are we going?” he queried again, teeth clattering against the low temperature. His handler stopped by the river and sighed a plume of steam into the air.

“I’m taking you to meet your father.”

Before he could register what was happening he was thrown down into the icy water. His handler pushed a knee into his back and twisted a hand in his hair, keeping his face under the surface. Eli yelled and struggled, seizing up with the shocking cold, his sobbing letting valuable lungful’s of air escape him. Everything was burning, inside and out.

He woke up immediately, the spell of the dream broken in an instant. Even so, it was hard to regain his breath. Eli sat up straight to help his gasping, thankful that he’d chosen that night to sleep in his own bed without his twin. There was no way he was putting up with David fidgeting when he was so tired.

The recovery took less time than he expected, and he sat for a while thinking about his dream. _I haven’t thought about that in forever._ A very prominent childhood memory of his was one of his handler trying to drown him. They had almost succeeded too, but they were shot clean through the forehead by another one of his carers who had followed their secret escape from the city. Eli had been five years old at the time.

He had never been told why that handler had snapped, he’d always assumed they had gone mad. That was the moment he abandoned his trust in people, as he was being dragged away from the river puking up water and saw his ex-favourite person lying dead, their vacant eyes still looking right at him.

 _That was so long ago…swimming around with David must have brought the memory back._ Eli hauled himself up from his bed to get an ironically much needed glass of water.

The light was on in the kitchen despite it being around three in the morning. _Oh great. It’s probably Solidus._ As he rounded the corner he saw his father seated at the counter, shirtless and bleeding from multiple round wounds on his body. Snake seemed rather relaxed though, using a pair of long medical tweezers from the first aid box to dig bullets out of his flesh. He pulled one out of his left shoulder and examined it before setting it down on the counter with a clink.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed?” his rough voice startled Eli where he was watching from the dark.

“I was thirsty.” As if trying to prove his excuse he emerged from the hall to get a glass from the cupboard. From the corner of his eye he watched Snake bury the tweezers into his chest after another casing. His father grimaced and twisted the tool. This wasn’t the first time he’d come home with some sort of injury.

“C’mere, you’ll have to get this one for me – I can’t reach it.”

“What?” Eli turned from the sink clutching his glass.

“These pliers are no good. You’ll have to suck the bullet out for me.” He regarded his father with a faint look of disgust, weighing the request in his head. He _could_ always say no, but he’d happily take any opportunity to inflict pain on Snake. The glass was set aside and he rounded the island, counting the already retrieved casings resting in a pool of blood. Three.

Snake pointed to the wound in question, buried in the meat of his right pectoral. Because of the angle of the entrance he was having difficulty excavating the bullet, and he wanted to avoid as much nerve damage as he could. Eli steadied himself with a hand on the counter and leant in to cover the wound with his lips. The sharp taste of blood flooded into his mouth immediately, a familiar taste. “Don’t fuck around, I want it out. So suck hard.”

Eli almost spluttered on Snake’s chest, the sudden realisation of the awkward position he’d put himself in hitting him like a brick. He’d done something like this with David before, but there had been much less blood and a lot more nakedness. Good thing his face was out of view because he was sure he was completely red.

In order to get out of the situation as fast as he could he hollowed his cheeks with effort and got a mouthful of blood. He had to stop for a breath and try again before he could feel the rim of the casing on his tongue, and he bit down on it. Snake hissed as he caught some of his skin too, and Eli came away with the bullet between his teeth. It was spat on the island counter along with the blood, which dribbled down his chin and neck. “Nice work kid. Now go back to bed.”

Eli did as he was told leaving his father to rummage around the first aid box for the suture kit, feeling utterly ashamed of his excitement.

~

George shambled downstairs groggily the next morning, smelling his father’s cigar before he spotted him in the living room armchair. It was the first time in a long time he’d seen Snake wearing something other than his usual uniform fatigues – he’d swapped them out for jeans and a plain black t-shirt. That meant he was planning on staying the whole day.

“Son.” Snake caught sight of him landing in the hallway, cracking a small smile to himself. He realised then just how much he'd missed his child. _Not a child anymore_. The thought disquieted him and the smile faded slightly. “You’ve grown.” George went over to take his place on the settee.

“Dad. You got here quick.”

“You said there was trouble.” Snake was talking about the phone call they had had only yesterday. _I also said it wasn’t urgent,_ Solidus reflected. _More than once_. He wanted more time to think over exactly what he should say.

“Yeah.”

“And?”

“It’s Eli.”

“What a surprise. What is it, then?”

Right. Now the time had come to tell him. Solidus wouldn’t have described himself as a manipulative person, although he listed it among his talents. For someone who wasn’t a professional at it – and he’d met some before – he thought he did a pretty good job. After all he’d ended up being responsible for practically every decision his unit made in Liberia, simply by mumbling things to his CO as he was pouring over maps and schematics. Of course it helped that he was sleeping with him too.

He’d thought that he could use his supposed talent on his father but now that he was actually faced with it he was having some doubts. It was far too late to back out now that he’d told Snake something was wrong.

~

David was oblivious to the conversation downstairs. He came to alone in bed, vaguely remembering Eli leaving in the night complaining that he wriggled too much. They were both worn out after swimming all day.

Automatically he got up to go into Eli’s room. When was the last time he’d actually been without his twin for more than ten minutes? Not that he really cared; he enjoyed the company. _Friends spend just as much time together_ … It was strange to think of Eli as his friend, because he wasn’t really. He’d had a lot of fun at the lake with him, but other than that they didn’t do much else but sit around. They didn’t have lots in common. _We still like being together anyway, so that has to count for something._

David knocked lightly and let himself in when he didn’t get an answer. As he expected his twin was still asleep, his upper half visible above the covers as he lay face down on his bed. The brunette slipped in beside him. If he wasn’t his friend, then what was he? It occurred to David that he didn’t really see Eli as his brother, either. When he learnt of his sibling’s existence, just before he came to live with him, he expected someone he would play ball with or go bike riding with. Typical brother things. That was how it was in movies and books.

He placed the back of his fingers on Eli’s tan skin and felt his ribs move as he breathed. There was a second where he anticipated the blonde getting tetchy because he’d been touching him in his sleep, but he swiftly recalled Eli starting the trend a few weeks ago when he essentially tried to molest him in the night. Little did he know David had been eagerly awaiting him to do just that.

Gradually he progressed to pressing his whole hand into his back and smoothing it over the warm surface absently. The muscles in the blonde’s back twitched under it, and the touch was enough to rouse him from his slumber.

“When did you get here?” Liquid murmured after twisting his head on the pillow to see him. His hair was dishevelled from sleep and one side of his face was red from resting on it.

“A while ago,” he whispered back. Solid shuffled closer on the double bed (a lot wider than his, he had noticed) so that their bodies where tucked up together, and his twin slung an arm over his chest. That was the best Liquid could do that early in the morning. The hand returned to his back and he didn’t make a comment or pull a face as Solid had expected. They didn’t touch much like this when they weren’t masturbating together, so he was happy with the non-verbal permission. “Do you think I’m your brother?”

“… _What?”_

“I mean, like, do you feel like we’re brothers?” He paused for a moment and scoffed listening to himself speak.

“Do I ‘feel like we’re brothers’? That has to be one of _the_ dumbest things I’ve ever heard you say,” Liquid replied slowly.

“Well…I don’t really know what I’m trying to say.”

“It’s not just me then.”

“Hey!” Solid pinched him and got a little _ow_ in response.

“If you’re asking if we’re just brothers then the answer is no – we’re much more than that.” The brunette’s heart skipped a few beats in his chest. “We’re _twins_. It’s different.” _Oh. Kinda thought he was going somewhere else with that._

“I guess so.” For some reason he felt… _disappointed_. But, at the same time, he liked that Liquid had admitted they were close (if that’s what he had meant). “So do you think we’re friends?”

“Where’s all this coming from all of a sudden?”

“Nowhere, I just asked if we were friends.” The blonde thought about it for a moment.

“I don’t think friends do…the kind of thing we do.”

“And _brothers_ do?”

“Good point. Let’s just say we’re twins.”

_Ugh...that’s very helpful, Eli._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for continuing to support this fic! <3


	22. Liquid's Bike

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one feels a bit messy but...here you go anyway.

Snake found himself alone in his study after listening to his eldest haltingly say his piece. He opened a draw in his desk and flicked under some pages to find the letter Solidus had sent home for Liquid, which he had elected to keep.

_‘…maybe I’ve finally gone crazy, but I actually miss you dummy. You might find this surprising but I do love you little brother. We’ll talk about what I found when I get back. Be good.’_

It more than corroborated George’s story in his mind. There was the remote possibility that he was lying, and had sent that letter to act as evidence in the absence of real proof – but what was his motive to such a well thought out lie? Why bother, why do that to his younger sibling? Snake knew he was clutching at straws with these questions, trying to avoid the truth. And the truth was that George wasn’t lying.

As his son had said, it couldn’t be a simple case of moving everyone around again. There was David to think about now too, who was apparently close to his twin. That in itself raised the whole other unspoken problem of _how close?_

“I think this will work – send them both. You won’t have to worry about leaving them alone again,” George had said. He’d certainly thought a lot about it. Perhaps that was the one silver lining in it all, that he knew George had the ability to plan meticulously on his own initiative; an infinitely important trait in their line of work.

Snake had also heard the imperceptible subtext in George’s voice when he kept repeating ‘alone’. His son might not have even realised he was doing it.

“Alone,” Snake had interrupted him, finally flicking his gaze back on him after focussing it on the window opposite the armchair.

“Sorry?”

“You think they need someone to watch them.” It wasn’t a question.

“…I think…right now they could do with some supervision. Which they would get there. Then...if it works well, maybe they’d be alright after that.” _He’s being careful_. Solidus knew that his opinion was an indirect accusation on his father’s input into the little family, which he had never openly criticised (or even mentioned) before.

“Hmm,” was all he had to say back.

At the end of the day, _Snake_ was the one making the decisions. This meant he was also responsible for whatever came after. He needed someone he could trust…Perhaps George’s idea wasn’t such a bad one after all.

~

No one disturbed the twins that morning. Their father stayed in his study all day making calls, and George decided to stay out of everyone’s way after having _the most_ embarrassing talk ever with Snake, bar none. No one liked talking to their parents about that shit, even if he had tried to get it out of the way as quickly as possible.

David had demanded that they not spend another day in their rooms, so Eli had reluctantly got dressed alongside him.

“What do you even want to do, anyway? I can’t be arsed to go swimming again.”

“Hm…” David made a quiet sound as he thought it over. “Do you have a skateboard or something?”

“No,” the blonde muttered with a hint of contempt. “But if you want to go riding I might have something else.”

The dark haired snake didn’t bother asking him to elaborate, instead following him all the way down to the back garden. They both started to tiptoe subconsciously when they heard Snake’s unintelligible voice coming from his study. At the bottom of the garden Eli wrestled with a tarp that had been thrown over something behind the shed. It was torn back from the vehicle in question.

“You had a bike this whole time?!”

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you say anything before?”

“I kind of forgot about it, honestly.” David stepped back from the shed to let him steer it out into the open, the wheels clicking rhythmically. “Now I have something to follow your skateboard on.”

“Why bring the board? Can’t I just ride on the back?” he pointed at the pegs on the rear wheel.

“Uh, sure…won’t that be a bit boring though?” David shook his head. He’d never owned a bike before, but he had learnt how to ride one by taking turns on another kids’. It had always been a dream to have one of his own – and Eli just ‘forgot’ he even had one! _Spoiled or what! I’d love something like this!_

They made their way onto the street, and Eli swung his leg over the seat. It was a bit too low, but not un-rideable. The bike was held steady like that as David stepped up onto the pegs and gripped onto his brother’s shoulders. “Let’s ride out of town. To the helipad? I don’t want to do circuits of the street.”

“You mean that field? Fine by me.” Getting going was the tricky part, having to balance both of their weights while trying to start pedalling. There was a wobble, but the bike steadied itself in the forward momentum. “Alright!”

“I have never seen someone get so excited by a bicycle before.” Eli scoffed.

“Aren’t you having fun?”

“No, you’re bloody heavy!” he tugged some fair hair out from where David had trapped it under his hand.

“I can always take over.”

“You can drive on the way back, then. Deal?”

“Deal.”

It was calm at the makeshift LZ, away from the silent tension of the house. They stopped to sit there for a while, lazing around on the grass, the bike set nearby. Liquid lay down, crossing his arms behind his head. _How weird that he gets his bike out when I was thinking about it earlier on_ , Solid mused. _Maybe I’m psychic._

Together they stayed like that in the field, neither of them saying a word. The dark haired brother picked at the green blades by his side, inspecting each of them in turn and splitting them in half as his mind wandered. He peered back at his twin after a few minutes as if to check he was still there in the silence. Liquid was looking at him too him.

Another few seconds passed and Solid checked again; he was still watching him.

“What?” It was making him self-conscious. _What is it?_ Liquid shrugged at the question.

“I like you.” The statement shouldn’t have come as such a surprise to Solid, but it did. They went around together, they rose and ate and talked and laughed together, they even slept in the same _bed_ on most nights now; and still the simple admission came as a shock. Stumbling for something to say all Solid could manage was a dense:

“Really?”

“Yes, _really.”_ Now the blonde looked just as puzzled. David felt his face heating up as a goofy smile spread across it.

“Well, I like you too!” The same grin came to Eli’s features, and an excited chuckle bubbled up to the surface. He sat up and moved forward to wedge himself between David’s chest and the knees that were tucked up to it, canting their heads together. The brunette accepted the kiss, and let himself be pushed backward onto the grass.

It was nice and slow, the pair of them melding their lips together repeatedly to build up some sort of rhythm. His twin’s lips were always so silky, even if he had a habit of chewing them when he was bored. Eli worked to open their mouths further, moaning softly against the other. Eventually a pair of arms looped around him, and his body was lowered to press flush against the other. Something was fluttering hard in David’s chest. “Mmmh~”

After hearing that sound it was actually painful to tear himself away, but Eli successfully lifted his head up. He didn’t want to, but he knew they would quickly get too worked up if they continued. There was no way David would let them do anything out in the open as they were, as far as he knew, and going home to relieve the tight straining in their trousers in broad daylight wasn’t an option with the house so dangerously full. David saw the frustration of restraint on his face and mirrored it with his own. He understood. “…Can I ride the bike now?”

~

Their bustle back into the house later that day was heard by the older snakes from the second floor. Snake sighed, preparing himself. _The sooner they’re off the better._ He got up from the heavy swivel chair, not bothering to turn off the desk lamp or sort the disarray of papers and telephone wire.

He got to the stairs before the twins, blocking their path. They were chatting animatedly about which one of them could pedal faster, the conversation coming to an abrupt halt when they noticed him looming over them from the top of the landing.

“Boys. You’re off on a trip.”

“Again?!” Eli piped up where he had one foot on the stairs, previously about to climb them. Snake studied him, half expecting him to seem different after knowing what he had done. The blonde remained the same to him, he was glad to discover. Hopefully this memory would recede to the back of his mind and be erased too. “What’s the matter this time?”

 _What do I tell them?_ His twins gazed up at him expectantly, their colourful eyes big and bright. _Not the truth. Not directly._

“You’ll be home soon. Don’t worry.”

~

Again to the LZ, this time by car. Snake’s big four-wheel drive. Their duffel bags, which evidently now had to be kept on standby, were piled into the boot.

They had been left to linger nervously for their departure late into the night, waiting for the chopper to make it there from wherever it was flying from. It arrived a minute or so after they did, deafeningly loud and whipping the cropped grass with the force of its rotors. The car’s steering wheel was clamped, and the vehicle left. Snake abandoned it there regularly when he left for work.

The twins were herded into the helicopter, and their father got in behind them. He needed to go anyway, he might as well ride with them to save some time and fuel. Eli chose a seat along the side of the small cabin, immediately slouching in his chair the way he tended to do. David sat beside him, holding his hands anxiously in his lap. No one else was fumbling to get belted in, even as they rose steadily from the ground, so he didn’t either.

High in the air it got cold, quick. David’s fingers were the first to feel it, along with the tip of his nose. He tried to ignore it for ten, fifteen, twenty minutes because he knew the journey could take hours; but ultimately he folded his hands under his armpits and shivered. Forgoing a coat or a jacket was definitely a bad decision. Seemingly lost in thought at the back of the cabin, Snake detected the gesture and clicked the switch near his seat for the heaters on the overheads. David felt the warm draught on his legs after a while and untensed himself gratefully.

At each hour interval Snake would turn minutely from the window or open his resting eyes to check on his younger sons. They both looked to be fast asleep each time, Solid resting his head on his own shoulder and Liquid nearly slipping out of his seat completely, he was so low in it.

Still he couldn’t quite believe what he had been told about Liquid – he didn’t _want_ to believe it. How did he let it get to that? Something…like that…How did it happen, in the house he sheltered his children in, in the house he forced himself to return to to see them? The blonde’s face was barely visible behind his twin’s chest.

 _David_ , Snake considered him from the rear of the cabin. _Solid Snake, huh._ His first impression of him, when he’d taken a day to see him at the group home, was timid. Then at the house he had spoken with more familiarity, but still few words passed between them. Interestingly he and Eli seemed to be getting along, which had been another weight off his mind. _Until now._ Snake grimaced, reaching under his seat for a cigar and thinking the better of it. Eli always coughed and complained when he smoked near him, and the ventilation in the cabin wasn’t enough to flush out the smog. He could do without the whining at that moment.

David woke up then, looking around in mild confusion and stretching his gangly legs as much as he could in the limited space. The main lights had been turned down, so they only had the warm glare of a red bulb and the pinpricks of instrumentation to see by.

“Where are we going?” he asked over the noise of the blades in a voice thick with sleep.

“We’re not there yet. Not for a while,” Snake called back, trying to duck the question again. He didn’t want to admit out loud exactly what he was subjecting his sons to, as ridiculous as he felt for it. It would also help if their minds were as calm as possible to get started. Keeping them in the dark was the better option.

David nodded and yawned, settling back into the seat as best he could, wanting to fall asleep again. The rumbling all around him lulled his eyes closed, and he soon slipped away from consciousness once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I read through some of my other fic and it made me feel like this one is BORING and needs more ACTION, plus my writing is getting really lazy I think. Dunno how to add the ACTION to a domestic story, but I'm definitely going with the dropped idea now.  
> <3


	23. A Place Outside of Heaven

The sky was a blank sheet of darkness when they arrived, devoid of any stars. Looking up it was impossible to tell whether they were outside or under an immense roof. This place was different to Mother Base; that much was immediately obvious to David when he trailed his brother closely onto the landing pad. For starters, the boiling of the ocean was missing below.

If Eli was equally as unfamiliar with the place he didn’t show it. He stuck his hands in his pockets and kicked a pebble along the dusty ground with him as he walked, until it skittered too far away and Snake turned them off course away from it.

They were walking across the yard of a massive compound, undoubtedly one of many behind the high barbed-wire walls around them. A few soldiers could be seen drifting to and fro in the floodlights, all armed as they had been on Venom’s rig. After the heated cabin of the helicopter the air felt cold, especially when they passed through a shadow.

“Are you going?” the blonde asked their father after passing a soldier that saluted them enthusiastically, again much like they had on Mother Base.

“Yes.” Snake pressed the pad of his thumb onto a sensor against the wall of a thick metal building, and the door beeped and slid away from the wall to let them pass. Inside it was a lot brighter, but the dull chrome walls didn’t make it feel any warmer. Red dirt had been tracked in on the soles of numerous shoes. Their father seemed to be walking them hurriedly to their destination.

“So…why the trip?”

“Just wait.” They overtook another guard, who, David noticed, eyed the twins in confusion as they went. _Do they not know about us? Is that why we’re going so fast?_ Everyone knew who they were when they were with V. Everyone was pleased to see them there.

A security camera whirred after them, tracking them. The muzzle of an automated gun was mounted on the side. _I hope it doesn’t think we’re intruders and start shooting…_

The trio ducked into an elevator, which required another thumbprint to access the floors. Levels had varying degrees of clearance, he guessed. As they shut the doors gave an extra clunk as they sealed. The entire structure was reinforced. _What do we do about air if we get stuck?_ David realised in a rush, before spotting the pumping vents in the roof.

They went down and re-emerged on an underground level, the walls made of concrete this time, and painted – still grey, but not as dark as above. There was a single corridor and four doors; two on one side, one on the other and one at the very end. Snake led them to the end one. It was so quiet down there that their breath sounded as though it were echoing down the short hall.

There were a pair of metal poles, bent at the ends and bound together by canvas, leaning against the wall by the door, and Snake gathered them up while he used his spare hand to gain entrance to the room once again.

Inside was a bedroom of average size, with a high ceiling and a single wide bed. Snake shook out the poles and snapped them in place. The bundle became a shallow cot that was set down at the end of the bed. “Sort out amongst yourselves who gets the bed, please.”

“Why are we here?” Eli requested for the hundredth time as his sire pulled a spare quilt and thin pillow from a built in closet.

“…You’re going to counselling.”

“Counselling?!” The brunette brother flinched at the sudden outburst, it sounded unnaturally sharp in the acoustically damp room. “ _Please_ tell me you’re joking!”

“No. It’s just for a few nights-”

“- A few _nights?”_

“Listen,” Snake stood up straight from throwing the quilt down and silenced Eli with a look. “You better behave here. This isn’t a playground.” _Like Mother Base_ , he added to himself privately. “Take the sessions seriously, because they’ll go on as long as it takes to work if you don’t.” Eli pulled a face.

“What do you mean ‘work’?”

“You’ll go separately, but you can stay together after if you’re good,” he continued, ignoring the last question. “You’re not to leave this room or go anywhere by yourselves. Someone will come to collect you each morning and escort you back. Your thumbs should let you in.” David rubbed a finger over his absently. _When did they take my thumbprint?_ “Got it?”

“Yes,” he answered immediately, perhaps the first time he’d actually spoken to Snake in Eli’s presence. The blonde was pouting, nose turned up at the idea.

“I don’t like it.”

“Tough.”

“I don’t want counselling.”

“Tough.”

“David doesn’t need it.”

“Would you rather he go home?”

“No!”

“Then don’t worry about it.” Snake made to leave, and remembered something else. “One more thing. I’ve asked a big favour of him for this, so _be nice_. Seriously.” Then he was gone, leaving his twins to their own devices.

~

“What is this place?” Solid asked once they both sat down on the bed. The other sibling shrugged, kicking his shoes off so he could tuck his feet under him.

“I’ve been here once before. ‘Outer Heaven’.”

“And we have to stay in our room the whole time?”

“Technically this is his room, we’re just borrowing it. I don’t think there are any spare places this close to the interior.” Solid opened a drawer in the small bedside table after receiving the information. He was hoping there would be something more interesting than what he found: an _Outer Heaven_ uniform armband and a tin of mints. “Trying to look through his stuff? I didn’t realise you were such a rebel!” Liquid teased. “There’s nothing good in here, I already looked last time.” The mints were snatched up by the blonde, and the drawer nudged shut.

“Where does he keep all his stuff then? Like…there are no pictures or anything at home, and this place is empty.”

“What makes you think he’d keep pictures anyway? Maybe there’s stuff in his bedroom - I’ve never got in there, he locks it.”

“Wise.” He took a mint from the proffered tin. “Ugh…counselling,” Solid mumbled to himself sullenly, shaking his head.

“I know. I’m gonna be bored out of my mind.”

“We don’t even know how long we’re gonna be here. We don’t even get our own rooms!”

“At least we get to share.”

“Yeah; _his_ room.”

“Isn’t that part of the fun?” Liquid leaned in, a hand finding its way to the other’s thigh. “He’d _hate_ it if he knew what we’re gonna do in here.”

“No _way_ , we would be in so much trouble!” Solid pulled his leg away slightly, but he could still feel himself blushing.

“It’s not like he’ll find out.”

“What about…yaknow, cleaning up?”

“Come on I’m not that messy.” He regained his purchase on his brother’s limb and nestled even closer, so that he was whispering directly into his ear. “Let’s do it in the shower so we don’t have to clean up. We can finish what we started earlier on.”

“Eli!” the brunette squirmed and shrugged him off, laughing. A heat started to pool between Solid’s legs at his twin’s dizzying closeness, his clothes starting to feel tight and stuffy. “Stop it, we shouldn’t be doing this here.”

“So you’re a goodie-two-shoes now, after going through his stuff a second ago?”

“It wasn’t really going through stuff, just one drawer.”

Liquid sighed and sat back up, keeping his eye on his sibling’s smile.

“You’re no fun. I guess I’ll just have to entertain myself.” With that Eli started to casually unbutton his own bottoms, pushing them down a little to give him more room. Eli had to pull himself out, not yet hard enough to spring free on his own. That certainly got David’s attention.

All too soon it got far too hot under his layers and the vest was peeled off him and chucked aside. Not wanting to stop the friction of his hand, Eli kicked his trousers off the rest of the way. He reclined on the bed and admired the engrossment of his twin, who was watching his hand intently. “Are you sure you don’t want to join in?” He was already so breathless he would have been embarrassed if it hadn’t made David shudder visibly.

“Yeah…” Eli felt unexpectedly ok with letting him just watch. He’d been aiming to convince him to give a helping hand, but it was actually exciting to see how much David enjoyed the show. From his low angle behind his back he couldn’t fully see his face, save for the flushed red tips of his ears, but he could hear his shaky breathing and frequent gulping.

The blue-eyed snake was such a mystery to him sometimes, it was nice to know he could mesmerise him in this simple way. Most of all he was so very grateful that the feeling between them was mutual; he would not have been able to handle _another_ unrequited attraction. If David hadn’t have been interested he was sure it would’ve driven him insane.

The act never elicited as much noise from Eli compared to when David did it for him, yet he was loud enough to provoke a response showing how much each sound affected his now extremely aroused twin. _How are you being so controlled?_ If their situations were reversed Eli wouldn’t be able to keep his hands to himself, let alone out of his pants.

The blonde felt a slipperiness under his fingers as he started to leak, stringing onto his hand and below his navel where he was jerking himself. Pressure was building there fast, pushing him closer to the edge. He reached the other hand down to cup himself and wished desperately that he could see David’s face, undoubtedly turned pink the way it did whenever he gave him so much as a little kiss.

“Ahh, David!” The darker sibling ripped his eyes away from the cock to glance back at him, taking in the blissed-out look he was wearing. As he was plucking up the courage to ask him how close he was Eli orgasmed, spilling hot ropes of semen along his abdomen with a groan. The sight rendered him completely speechless apart from a strangled noise from somewhere in his throat.

Still panting and sweaty coated in his own cum, Eli asked, “Do you wish you’d joined in now?”

“…I’m gonna go take a shower,” David responded.

~

Eli was the first to go. There was a thumping on the door in the – according to the wall clock – morning, and a voice requested his presence on the other side as soon as possible. Being used to rising whenever they wanted, the twins were poorly adjusted to the early start. Eli seemed half dead as he dressed and stumbled out to meet his escort.

This gave David another good hour of sleep after he had departed. Waking up alone in the unfamiliar place wasn’t a pleasant experience, though. The bed, like his own at home, was just wide enough to let them both sleep there, but it felt very empty with just him in it. Not knowing the vastness of the complex he had arrived in, or even what part of the world he was in, was more intimidating than he had thought it could be.

He sternly told himself to get over it before the feeling got worse, and sat up to a breakfast of mint imperials. As he was chewing on the soft middle he thought about where they would get their meals from. If they were lucky it would just be brought down there to them.

It took around five minutes for David to get bored sitting with his own thoughts. Since he’d managed to get back to sleep his wait had been reduced, giving him another quarter of an hour before he too was beckoned from beyond the door.

He slipped into yesterday’s clothes and stepped through the door nervously. It was an automatic sliding one, so he couldn’t peek through it before taking the plunge. A soldier was waiting for him outside, looking as openly curious about him as another one had been the night before.

“I’m here to take you across the building. You ready? We have to get going.” He had an accent that the brunette couldn’t even begin to place.

“I’m ready,” David mumbled back, scurrying after the heels of the retreating soldier _. I hope we bump into Eli on the way there_. There was no reason for them not to cross paths, if they were going to the same counsellor. They must be, or else why the wait for his turn?

This place was a lot more uninviting than Mother Base. At least there the mercenaries had been chipper and lively, a far cry from the suspicious and cold looks he got from the guards he passed here. Whether it was a coincidence or not, he couldn’t help but draw the connection between the separate places and the two versions of his father commanding them. _It’s like the difference between ‘SNAKE’ and Venom._ With that thought he also finally grasped the themed link between the two codenames and gave an audible _ooh_ that made the leading soldier throw a look over his shoulder at him.

It didn’t take long for them to get there, after a walk through the labyrinthine halls and several more security doors; one of which the soldier had to awkwardly ask for David’s thumbprint after his own clearance was denied. Again he wondered how they had got his print.

David was left at the last door to go in alone. Waiting for him beyond the slab of metal was a square room, empty aside from some chairs, one pulled into the centre of the space, a table and a man. His company turned from where he was occupied at the table against the wall and ushered him in with a gesture.

“You must be David. Come on in.” This accent was a lot more familiar than that of the escorting soldier. Feeling acutely self-conscious as he did in any situation with a stranger, he walked in far enough to let the door shut behind him. A gloved hand was offered, and he had to shuffle closer to shake it. “Do you know why you’re here?”

“Uh, counselling right?” For some reason this appeared to amuse the stranger, who gave a slight smirk under his silver moustache.

“Sure. Why don’t you take a seat?” David looked at the isolated chair beside him, perching himself on it unsurely. _Weird setup._ “I’m guessing you don’t know me. I’m a friend of your father’s, he asked me to- help you out here. Call me Ocelot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's favourite cat enters the fray to stir the pot >:3c


	24. Interrogation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've re-written some parts because I was tired and rushed it too much.  
> Sorry!

“We’re gonna keep this one quick today. I don’t know what you might be expecting but…my methods are usually  _different_  from the norm.” Ocelot went back to the table as soon as the brunette sat down. David had no idea what he had been expecting anyway – perhaps something closer to the trope of lying down to talk to a shrink. He’d ask him how he was feeling, David would say ok. That old chestnut. This man didn’t look much like a shrink though, or one of his father’s soldiers for that matter. For starters he wasn’t wearing a uniform.

Something clinked at the table and David directed his attention towards it. There were all sorts of miscellaneous medical supplied arranged neatly there. Ocelot was fiddling with something on a metal tray, the lip of which the young snake couldn’t see over. Immediately he felt the grip of dread around his heart.

“W-what’s that all for?” When he didn’t get an answer his apprehension grew. “Are you a doctor?”

“I’m not going to be operating on you, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Ocelot lifted a syringe to flick the bubbles out, in complete contrast to his words.

“What’s _that_ for? Are you going to inject me?”

“Now, now, David;  _I’m_  supposed to be the one asking  _you_  questions.”

“Can you please just tell me what you’re doing?” He unconsciously leaned away from the instrument as it was set down in a dish. More than ever he wished he had Eli with him. Would he be in trouble if he just got up and left?

“I’m gonna give you a little something to help you relax, that’s all. You’re not afraid of a tiny ol’ needle, are you?”

“No.”  _It’s what you’re giving me that I’m afraid of._  He was about to tell him he didn’t need relaxing until he recalled his father’s parting warning to ‘be nice’, thought about it for a moment and decided to say it anyway. “I don’t think I need a shot, I feel fine.”  The man came back to his chair to slip an elastic tourniquet around his upper arm and tighten it in place.  _I guess I’m getting one anyway._ David looked away so he didn’t have to watch as a red gloved finger pressed the inside of his elbow to bring up a vein.

Ocelot was studying his reaction carefully, systematically recording as much as he could in his head. He wanted information. Information about Solid Snake.

“I think I should get to know you a bit better to start. Would you say you were a nervous person, David?” The needle found its mark, and he slowly depressed the plunger.

“Uh…I don’t think so…” His opposite hand was brought to press on the speck of blood left from the syringe. Ocelot took his time disposing of it at the table; he wanted the drugs to kick in before he asked more questions. He could ask a few basic ones while he waited.

 Usually he would have jabbed the needle into the subject’s neck indelicately (yet precisely), not caring if it hurt. Things were different this time; this was John’s child, a little more care was required. Plus he wanted David to trust him if he was going to get anywhere – stabbing him in the neck certainly wouldn’t have helped to that end.

“You just moved into the house a few weeks ago, right? What do you think of it?”

“It’s ok…” Ocelot couldn’t tell if he was purposely being difficult or if he was just a boy of few words. The snake sensed that he wanted more and elaborated. “It’s a nice place. I like it.”

“You’ve lived in a lot of houses.”  _He must know I was fostered then. My dad must have told him about me._

“Yeah.”

“Did you like all of them?”

“…Some were alright.” David turned his head to look at the minuscule puncture on his arm and the movement made him dizzy.  _It must be that injection. That was fast._

“Do you know why your father sent you to me?”

“No.”  _Why_ am _I here?_  “Is it because of Eli?”

“What do you mean?” The cat’s attention piqued.

“Am I here to keep him company or something?…Like, I don’t think I need counselling.”

“And you think Eli does?”

“I dunno.”  _Yes._

“And you’re here so you’re not separated. Why wouldn’t your father want to separate you?”

“Um…because we’re friends.” It was getting harder to concentrate on his answers. As the spell of dizziness settled with the stillness of his head a nausea was rising steadily in his gut. His mouth filled with saliva, some accidently dribbling onto his arm, and he tried to catch it with a clumsy hand. “Hggh...I don’t feel so good.”

A plastic bucket was thrust into his hands on cue. He knew what it was for, but he still desperately fought not to throw up in front of the person he’d just met. It was hard enough around new people as it was.

“So, your -” Ocelot was cut off by David vomiting into the tub, bringing up nothing but bile after so long without eating anything substantial.

“S-sorry,” he mumbled when he was done, spitting the rest out after it. As gross as it was he didn’t trust himself without the bucket, so it stayed on his lap and he sat back up.

“So,” the cat continued as if nothing had happened, “your older brother came back to stay recently. Would you say you were ‘friends’ with him too?”

“Uhhh.”

“It’s ok, you can tell me. What do you think of him?” He could see the cloud of disorientation over David’s eyes now, and knew the drugs were taking effect. His answers would be more truthful where he usually would have lied. Unfortunately it also made him confused, so said answers may take a while to get out. On a higher dosage even his memories would become malleable.

“I think he’s ok…I don’t really know him that well.”

“Mm-hm.”

“He’s hard to talk to.” Another burp of vomit forced its way up and landed in the bucket. David apologised again, feeling better on the emptier stomach, and promptly got the hiccups.

“What do you think of your father?” Ocelot knew exactly where he had to steer the interrogation. He was eager to delve into the mind of the young clone. This one seemed more like John than the others so far; Solidus tried too hard to be clever for his liking and Liquid was – well,  _Liquid_.

“Um - _hic-_ …he scares me.” Ocelot raised an eyebrow, actually surprised.

“Scares you?”

“Yeah he hits - _hic-_  Eli.”

“But not you.”

“No. I tthought he would be difff,” David could hear how much his words were slurring and tried again, “I thought - _hic-_  he would be different.” A fog had settled in his head, making everything fuzzy.

“Different how?”

“…More like a dad, I guess.”

“Does that make you sad?”

“Erm…- _hic-_ …I don’t know.” Unable to stop himself he added, “Yes.” Ocelot hummed to himself, leaning against the table and crossing his arms. Now they could start properly. “I want to be a good son.”

“I’m sure you do,” he told him. John’s summary of the brunette had been along the lines of ‘polite’ and ‘skittish’, if he remembered correctly. The lack of negative criticism told him that David must indeed be a good son around him. All the more reason to puzzle over the apparent harmony between him and his riotous twin. “It’s nice to hear you and Eli are getting along. I know he can be a bit of a bully sometimes.”

David nodded to himself drowsily.

“He  _is_ …but only  _sometimes_. He’s nice - _hic_ \- to me.”

“Why only to you?” Ocelot pried. Snake had told him all about Liquid’s misadventures where Solidus was concerned, and he too was harbouring suspicions about the nature of the twins’ relationship because of it. All they needed was for one of them to slip up and spill the truth.

Liquid’s session earlier on had been more focussed on his obsession with their elder sibling than his twin, and trying to get Liquid to calm down and stop puking on the floor. Not a very fruitful session, apart from him eventually recounting in delicious detail some of what he’d drawn. Ocelot hadn’t been expecting much from the first day anyway. Everything had been mopped up by an unlucky soldier before Solid’s arrival, but, now that the drug had made him sick too, the smell was back.

“Because we’re close.” David removed a hand from the bucket to rub at his throat where the hiccups were hurting him, and the gunslinger reached forward to take it off him and put it on the floor before he lost his grip and spilt it everywhere. “‘Twins are closer than friends’, that’s what he said.” He rested his tired eyes for a fraction of a second too long and Ocelot slammed his fist onto the metal surface of the table to jolt him awake, rattling the medical paraphernalia. If he passed out now the session would be over. Maybe it was time to speed things up a bit.

“David, did you know that Eli and George were close?” The brunette nodded again, still shaken from the loud bang. “What would you happen to know about that?”

“…Some stuff.” Even under the influence of Ocelot’s serum he was still trying to be evasive. _How much does he know? What else could he be hiding?_

“Can you tell me?”

“Uhhh…- _hic_ -…” He knew there was a reason he had to keep quiet, but the haze of his mind refused to lift. “G-George got drunk, and they argued.”

“Why?” David shifted uncomfortably on the chair, hesitating.

“…He found out…um...Eli - _hic_ \- pretended he was in love with him.” The words fell out before he realised what he was saying.

“Did he, now.” Ocelot knew all this already. _Pretended? Is that what he told you_? “How does that make you feel?” An anxious gulp, a little shrug.

“It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“How come?”

“It – he doesn’t feel like that anymore!” The irritation was clear and damning.

“Why are you getting angry about it?”

“I’m  _not_.” David turned his face away to frown at the wall. It was possible that the clone didn’t even know he was angry about it before, and the hypnotic shot was finally letting him feel it. This would be a learning experience for the both of them. The cat stayed quiet for a moment to give him a quick break, not wanting to overwhelm him. The cocktail he’d injected him with also had the tricky side effect of making the subject’s anxiety skyrocket.

“How does Eli feel about  _you?”_

“He likes me.” This time a smile played on his lips, remembering his twin tell him as much and kiss him after.

“Do you like him?” Ocelot started pacing so he could see what expression he was pulling.

“ _Yes_.”

“Have you ever felt as though you maybe liked him more than you should?” The look of happiness twisted as the worry came back to him.

“…Yes.” Ocelot was the one turning to conceal a smirk now. It was a  _joke_ , the whole situation. John was making himself sick with the stress of trying to keep his unnatural children as well adjusted as he could, and failing miserably. ‘So what if they have some fun with each other? Let ‘em, I say’ he’d told him over the phone in jest, half serious. His closest friend hadn’t found it funny in the slightest.

“It’s ok,” he tried to reassure him when David started to look nauseous again. It was obvious that the involuntary confessions were distressing David greatly, and he’d have to tread carefully unless he wanted to induce a massive panic attack. At least the hiccups were gone though.

“No, I don’t like him,” the snake tried to backpedal tremulously.

“Alright.” Ocelot held his hands up to slow him down.

“I…y-you’re not gonna tell my dad, are you?”

“No, everything will stay between us.” He was a seamless liar. “But it’s important that you tell me the truth.”

“Ok…um, I was lying. About not liking him.” Ocelot managed to keep from rolling his eyes at the boy.

“Is there something  _else_  you’re not telling me?”

“Yes.”

“Maybe you should.”

“I don’t want to.” As annoying as it was, he had to admit the kid had a whole lot of willpower.

“You can trust me, David.”

“We…we’ve been doing bad stuff together.” _Stop, stop!_ he cried to himself.

“Bad how?” They were so close to getting a clear admission that would confirm all of their suspicions that he could almost  _feel_  it.

“Eli was the one who started it!” Solid Snake was squeezing his own hands, watching them wring in his lap guiltily. He  _knew_  he shouldn't, he  _knew_ it, but it was as though he physically could not stop his scrambled thoughts from moulding into speech. It was made worse by the fact that he was lucid enough to understand what was happening. He was about to ruin everything. “I  _can't_...we-" Solid was trembling with the effort to control himself; with the fright of what he would say. The words came slowly and thickly, with him attempting in vain to stop them. "…Sometimes we…touch each other. We shouldn't...but w-we do...” There. He’d actually said it. It would never be able to be taken back now.

Ocelot allowed himself a smug look, imagining John’s reaction when he told him the news. This wasn’t a surprise at all, but he certainly wouldn’t be pleased.

“It’s ok,” he said again, his pacing leading him behind the clone so he could pat his tense shoulder.

“We know it's bad. We know it's bad.” The visceral alarm of being forced to reveal it was enough to make him vomit again, leaning forward to aim at the tub at his feet and clutching onto the flimsy armrests.

“…I think that’s enough for today.” The cat had got a lot more than he had been expecting. There was no need to wear him out before they started for real tomorrow. He hit a button on the wall near the door, calling a soldier to take David back to his room.

The snake kept his mouth shut as he was helped up by his escort, unsteady on his feet. He would have plenty of time to think about what he’d just done as the drugs were wearing off.


	25. Paperwork

The escort stopped before reaching the door, as if crossing the threshold or even going near it would electrocute him. Solid was nudged toward it, having to fumble to open it himself with his thumb. Much easier said than done when his coordination was shot.

Liquid was on the bed when he stumbled back in, still in his shoes. He turned his head toward the intruder sluggishly, still under the spell of the drug despite having had longer than the brunette to get over it. Solid joined him there, flopping down on his front. They looked at each other in the dark, illuminated only by the bulb from the bathroom shining through a crack in the manual sliding door.

“I think I know why we’re here,” the blonde whispered.

“Counselling.” Solid’s eyes were getting heavy pressed into the comfortable mattress. He extended a hand to cling onto the fabric of Liquid’s top weakly, wanting some part of him under his fingers as he fell asleep.

“…No.”

~

It was so peaceful having the house to himself. No music, no hassle, no thumping footsteps. No noise. Not even the infrequent muffled sounds their father made whenever he was there. This was the first thing George noticed in the absence of his family.

The silence quickly became deafening; almost unbearably so. He turned the television volume way up just so he had some background clamour to listen to from upstairs. After being surrounded by noise and gunfire constantly for so long he wasn’t used to the uncomfortable stillness at all.

George worried that this was a symptom of PTSD he might have unknowingly developed during his recent stint in West Africa, but tried to shake the speculation off. _It doesn’t make sense anyway,_ he told himself. _You don’t_ miss _the noise if you have PTSD, right?_ Being shell-shocked at twenty one didn’t bode well for the rest of his career.

The novelty of being alone also wore off very soon. At least, the knowledge that he would essentially be in isolation for an unknown amount of time was draining. It was only the first day on his own, too.

He drifted around the empty house aimlessly in his boredom, breezing through all the unused rooms to keep himself busy while he was waiting on the oven to cook his dinner. Usually Eli would come sniffing around about then, asking if he could make his dinner for him too.

George’s wandering brought him to a crossroads, deciding whether to take the stairs to the twin’s rooms in the loft or turn left toward the rooms his father used. They were locked, and he knew this, but he found himself heading down the corridor anyway. He had been listening attentively to everything yesterday, and he wasn’t sure if he could remember hearing Snake lock his study before he left. It was just a feeling, yet it made him go up to the study door and try the handle; astonished when it swung on its hinges in his pushing hand. _It’s open…_

Unlike David he didn’t have any qualms about going in for a rummage around.

Everything had been rearranged hastily last night. Papers had been cleared, the phone disconnected and stashed away. The escritoire was much more ornate than something he would expect his father to own, set at an angle in the back corner by the shuttered window and giving the whole room an askew look. _Probably a gift._

George made a beeline for the antique desk, flicking on the overhead light as he went, and pulled the accompanying black leather office chair back to take a seat. A Rolodex thick with contact details had been placed on one corner, set back to the start of the roll. He flicked through some at random. Everything was written in Russian for some reason. At first he thought it was to stop the likes of him or his brothers reading it, but he could speak it almost as well as he could English – like his father – and even Eli could understand some as far as he knew. He checked under ‘Г’ for George, and found the address of the place in Liberia that held mail for him.

Where the drawers were concerned, the most obvious choice was to check the largest one set along the bottom. It stuck on its sliders, fastened. _Damn. So he locks this and leaves the door_? Now determined to get in, he sorted through the smaller drawers on the backboard. Nothing, nothing, some pencil clips, a stapler, a letter opener, a fountain pen and ink cartridges. George sat back with a huff, immediately noticing the small golden key blending in with the equally golden base of the banker’s desk lamp it was placed on, opposite the Rolodex. It wasn’t even hidden.

He snatched it up, admiring the swirling metalwork on the old bow for a second before using it to unlock the long drawer. The mechanism clicked satisfyingly, sliding out. All that George could see was paper. There were a few manila folders marked _FOXHOUND_ stacked in one corner and an untidy pile of assorted papers scattered about the rest. His urge to sort it out had to be squashed if he wanted to leave as little hint of his presence as possible.

Slipping out some pages indiscriminately he scanned over the information for anything interesting. Mostly it was invoices from his Outer Heaven exploits, mixed with a few from Diamond Dogs. Boring numbers. _So much money_ , but boring all the same. On a more intriguing note he found that some letters had been separated from the business receipts, and pushed the latter aside to see what his father had been writing.

‘ _Wait until after the next shore leave rotation or next thing we know he’ll be stowaway on a boat to God-knows where._

_\- V’_

It was written on lined paper that had been torn at the top, in Snake’s handwriting, but written by a completely different snake. _Venom_. George had been training with him a few times, even going out into the field with him learning as he went, as he had with his real father. He found himself in awe of them in action, finally able to see what _really_ made them the fierce legend up close. There was a lot of respect for them there. He forced his mind to become a sponge in order to soak up every single thing they could teach him, and they were excellent teachers.

There was a lot of pressure on him, though, and he felt every bit of it. V had once said to him, as they were traipsing through the desert together outside Kabul, ‘You’ll have to be him next’. Needless to say it didn’t lighten the mood. He was talking about Solidus inheriting his father’s legacy. He wouldn’t become Big Boss, obviously, but he was expected to become something equally formidable. Solidus couldn’t let himself want anything else for his future, because he was shit out of luck if he did.

Breaking from his reverie, he spotted some familiar stamps on the corner of a brown envelope at the bottom of the pile. Slipping it from the stack, he took the contents out carefully. It was the same waxy paper he had used in Liberia, and he recognised his own cursive scrawled down the middle. _This is…‘Eli, we’ve hit a bit of bad luck here’…This is_ my _letter! What is it doing..._ He studied the stamps again, the ones he now remembered buying for Eli because they had birds on them. This was the original envelope, intact. George had a horrible moment of realisation that it hadn’t been opened by his sibling, because he _always_ ripped the envelope to pieces in his haste to get inside. A letter opener had been used here to make one clean slice across the top.

“My letter…” Eli had argued that he never got a message from him while he had been gone. “God…he was telling the truth.” He hadn’t got the letter. It had been in here the whole time. His father had told him that Eli had refused to write him back, but _he_ had had the thing all along _. He lied to me. Why would he do that?_

George thought about his decision to tell Snake everything, advising him to send the twins away, largely out of spite for the brother that had turned his back on him. “Shit.”

~

Adamska reported the progress back whenever he could. Now that he had a rhythm going with the boys it was much more methodical. They would tell him something high on the serum, and he would inject them with more and replace the memory with something different; _innocent_. For all their stubbornness and defiance they were relatively easy to brainwash. As long as he kept them doped up they would be receptive to the therapy.

At the end of it all they would have utterly forgotten about their sexual deviancy with each other and their older sibling. Exactly the way their father wanted it.

When they weren’t with Ocelot they were either sleeping or stuck in the hypnotic state that made it impossible for them to do a thing. Lucky for them they could still stagger to the bathroom by themselves.

Since they couldn’t keep much food down they were given just two meals a day - nutrient dense bricks that would hopefully stop them from losing too much weight as their therapy dragged on. The food had to be put in their hands or mouths to actually encourage them to eat it, though eating had turned into sucking the biscuit-like chunks until it had dissolved enough to swallow.

They hadn’t washed in the time that they had been there, or changed their clothes. On the fourth day Ocelot got a medical staff member (he didn’t completely trust the combat or guard detail with the twins’ comatose bodies) to clean them and dress them in the only clothes they had on hand: Outer Heaven uniform. The cat had to admit they both looked adorable in their new olive drab.

John eventually made an appearance to see for himself how everything was going. He had been hoping the twins were ready to be taken home, but they were still lying in his room like a pair of vegetables. A pair of vegetables in matching fatigues. One of them cracked an eye open and said his name, already unconscious by the time he asked them what was wrong. It was unsettling to see them like that, so he didn’t plan to stay in there any longer. At least he knew putting them through this would be worth it.

The door opened behind him, and he faintly heard Adamska’s spurs rattling in.

“So much for the cot.” Even though Snake had his back turned he nodded toward the untouched pallet at the foot of the bed.

“Are they always like this?”

“It’s the meds. They’ll be back beyond normal in no time.”

“How much longer do you need?”

“Just a few days, tops. If you were to ask them anything now they wouldn’t remember it. All I have left to do is make sure it stays that way.”

“Huh.” His sons were so still and quiet they almost seemed dead. “Do they need someone to watch them after?”

“I wouldn’t’ve thought so. Don’t you have Solidus at home right now?”

“I want him to get back in the field before he gets too used to it.” Really he just wanted him out of the way while the dust settled. They would be better off at Mother Base than with him…that is, if Venom could find someone suitable to babysit them there. With things so busy for the both of them it couldn’t have come at a more inconvenient time. “I might have to ask another favour.”

“ _I’m_ not doing it.” Snake barked with laughter at his abrupt response, waking the twins up to look around them in confusion. Neither of the adults were paid any attention, if they saw them by the bed at all.

“Not you. I’ll have to think about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have had an idea to include another beloved character. Maybe.


	26. Have Faith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might as well rename this fic 'they're tired and they move constantly'

The time had come for another decision. As much as he wanted to there was no time to meet with Venom in person, so they’d have to deliberate over the phone. This would involve the both of them. They didn’t have long until the twins were ready to be brought back.

Their planning wasn’t as much a choice as it was deciding how to speed up a process they were already going through to suit their current situation. For months they had been trying to figure out how to balance and spread themselves out over what was now three major organisations, after finally agreeing to take up command of FOXHOUND again. Neither of them were keen to get mixed up with the US government, or any government for that matter, but FOXHOUND had belonged to Snake in the beginning - and it would mean that much more influence for Big Boss as a whole.

Figuring out how to be in three places at once was difficult. Being in _two_ at once they could manage, but their presence at FOXHOUND had to be near constant, as they understood it. At the same time they couldn’t just abandon their posts at the mercenary strongholds. On top of all this only one of them could physically make an appearance at their newest station – they may be doppelgangers, but they were easy to tell apart because of the scarring. If one turned up after the other it wouldn’t go unnoticed and unquestioned.

The only solution Snake could see was to merge Diamond Dogs with Outer Heaven, as the former was the smaller of the two. V had agreed with him, knowing full well this would mean he would lose his position as commander there and take it up at FOXHOUND. Quite the demotion, but one he was willing to accept. It wasn’t as though they wouldn’t be involved in one another’s business anyway.

Although Venom was already spending a lot of time setting up in Alaska the process of combining the merc armies was ongoing. It would be slow, of course; a lot of moving around and records and briefing and logistics. Mother Base was half a continent away from Outer Heaven, which may not have been the handicap it sounded. On a global scale they were close by, and having a spare base meant they could delegate soldiers, units and resources between them.

This all tied into the twin’s situation with where they were going to stay while they recovered. Ocelot assured Snake it wouldn’t take long at all (although he wouldn’t specify beyond ‘I can’t be sure’), and he was tempted just to let George do it despite what he had thought initially.

But, after hearing the feedback from Ocelot on how his young sons felt about him, he was compelled to take a different route. Ocelot’s point had been that his absence as their father was effecting them greatly, and if they continued to grow up to resent him they could end up turning on him in the future – even trying to kill him. An extremely paranoid prediction, but a logical one all the same.

Their loyalty to him aside, he was far more haunted by the picture they had painted of him in their minds. David was frightened of him, apparently, and that much he didn’t know how to help. He could possibly help the fact that he wanted him around more, though. And then there was Eli…who ‘wept his lil’ heart out’, according to the Russian. _‘He just said that he didn’t understand why you’ve always hated him, and he felt weak because he still wanted you to love him back’_ Adamska had said without sympathy.

Thinking about how much his sons were hurting disturbed him. He had had no clue they felt that way at all. Snake could barely comprehend it – he himself had never had, wanted or needed a father figure in his life, so the idea that his clones needed it was alien to him. Was it really that important? Then again… _he_ had been devastated when The Boss had left him, many many years ago. Perhaps they felt the same, in a way. _No, this is different. She was gone for years…(but so was I, for the first 12, 15, 18 years of their lives)_

He knew they were his 'children', and yet he still struggled with the fact that he was their father. What was he supposed to do?

The term ‘abandonment issues’ flashed in his head for an awful moment, and he had the epiphany of: could all of this be _his_ fault, somehow? Is that why Liquid got so attached to people? No, it couldn’t possibly be because of him. He had to tell himself that to numb the guilt he felt regardless.

Perhaps more surprising than anything was the fact he didn’t realise he cared so much.

So, he had to remedy this. Both he and V were going to be extremely unavailable with work; they physically did not have time for them. George was going to leave again soon too, and the twins would be all alone together. _But_ …there could be a way to keep them closer, and have someone watching over them.

Miller.

Following the decision to get involved in FOXHOUND again Snake had got Venom to get into contact with him, offering him a place among the ranks (V had to be the one to do it because he knew Kaz would rather gouge his own eyes out with a rusty fork than hear from _him_ ). It had taken a while and some insistent persuasion, but he’d finally agreed. A good thing too, he couldn’t think of anyone better for the job.

Having started there alongside his phantom, Kaz had already moved further into Alaska to be closer to the base. As far as Snake knew he had been spending his time in the northernmost state instructing Marines and Green Berets on survival, so the switch in job wouldn’t be too drastic for him. As far as his personal life was concerned he didn’t know a thing, and he imagined Kaz would prefer it to stay that way.

Of course if he wanted his plan to work he’d have to hand things over to Venom to sort out. Originally he’d thought to send the twins to live alongside V at the heart of FOXHOUND. That way they’d get to see their father every day, which would apparently be good for them…but they’d also be living at the heart of FOXHOUND, a militarised training base - at least in Outer Heaven they had been unable to move after being doped up. It could be good for them to get some exposure to the training early, though he couldn’t help but imagine all the ways they could get in trouble there. In light of recent events he was probably right to be apprehensive.

If they stayed with Miller for a little while however, just as they got their heads together and everything got settled in with FOXHOUND, they’d be out of the way while the adults did their job and still be close by. It wasn’t the end of the world if Miller refused, they still had plan A to fall back on, but Snake doubted he would. He’d always had a soft spot for Eli from his time as XO of Diamond Dogs. This was the perfect opportunity to gain more leverage in Kaz’s life too – the twins could end up being excellent bargaining chips if Snake ever wanted something from him. A way back in.

Reflecting on his options made things seem a lot less stressful.

~

The next time Eli opened his eyes he was in the car. He couldn’t remember getting in. David was beside him, belted in as he was and slumped in the seat. Willing his heavy eyes to stay open he scanned around for the driver. His vision was unfocussed, but he still recognised Snake sat at the wheel up front, his back to them. They were all going somewhere together.

“Uhh…” he croaked, clearing his sore throat. Eli shuffled to stretch his limbs in the cramped space. Everything was aching and stiff. It felt like he’d had the flu for ages. Snake heard the movement behind him, and readjusted the rear view mirror to look back at him. “Where are we going?”

“We’ll be home soon for tonight.” _Home?_ Then where had they just been?

“Where were we?” Eli could only see a dark blur when he tried to think back in his head. Snake kept his eyes on the road, mulling over his words carefully.

“You and your brother…got sick. You’ve been with the medical team.” That explained the bruised feeling all over his body.

“How long?” He looked back at David and saw that he was wearing Outer Heaven fatigues. “Uniform?”

“Ten days, I think. Oh, and your clothes are still dirty.” _Ten days?! How sick_ were _we?_ Based on the fact that Snake had actually decided to take them to see a doctor, and the fact he couldn’t remember getting ill or leaving the house, he guessed very sick.

“It hurts…” Eli mumbled to himself. The sunlight piercing the dusty windows was far too bright, and the persistent thumping behind his eyes got sharper with each passing second. There was a cramp in his neck from sleeping with his head hanging. Now that he was conscious all of his pains could only get progressively worse until he passed out again. _Why are we going home? I still feel ill…_ A hand was brought up to shield his eyes and rub the bridge of his nose simultaneously.

“Do you still have your winter coat? From your last birthday?”

“It doesn’t fit anymore.” In fact it had only fitted for about a month until he’d had a mini growth spurt that made the sleeves too short.

“Does David have one?” Snake hadn’t seen them speak a word to each other since he’d first dropped them off in Ocelot’s capable hands.

“I don’t _know_.” Eli was having trouble sifting through the murk of his brain for the simple answers. It was too much effort. Snake got the hint.

“I think you’ll be cheered up tomorrow.” Eli didn’t know it, but he wasn’t talking about his health.

Back at the house, finally, the twins had to be herded in on their unsteady feet. David lost his balance on the steps and Snake could already see him falling over flat, darting out to catch him before he managed to right himself on his own. It wouldn’t be fair to just let him fall when he was in that state, especially onto concrete.

The TV was on when they got in, turned up much louder than was necessary. Passing through the porch he couldn’t see anyone sat there watching it – the living room was empty. David and Eli automatically went on ahead to their beds while their father stayed behind to turn the television off.

At the sudden void of sound George poked his head out of his room to investigate. The twins passed by, looking like death with their pallid faces and purple eyes. Their older brother stopped the blonde by holding onto his forearm.

“Eli, you ok?”

“I got the flu or something. I’m going back to bed…” George let Eli go. He hadn’t been short with him, or tried to shrug him off…whatever happened must have worked, as far as he could tell from that exchange. Snake came up the stairs after them, watching them head into their respective rooms alone from the landing.

“What’s up with them – why are they like that?”

“It’ll take a while for them to get that shit out of their system. Plus their brains are fried out.”

“How long will it take?”

“You don’t have to worry about that, I’m moving them on tomorrow.” George was about to ask if it was wise, and stopped himself to rephrase it.

“As long as you think they’ll be alright.”

“Ahab will be there with them.” For a split second he forgot who Snake was talking about. _Venom. I wish he’d just say that._

“Ok. I trust you.” And with that he backed into his room again. He liked to think it was possible for him not trust his father after his discovery in the study. He knew he shouldn’t _completely_ , anyway, but his faith didn’t waver easily.


	27. Bread

David was confused upon waking up without his twin. They’d been having sleepovers each night recently…so where was he?

Time ticked by as he lay still in the dim light of his room, warm and oblivious. A deep fatigue had settled over him, like he’d never felt before. It didn’t feel physical, the way it did after a long day of activity. He recalled Eli mentioning they had gotten ill at some point, which would connect the dots.

Nearly 24 hours after shuffling up there, he emerged from his room. David kept a hand on the bannister as he descended to use the bathroom. Catching sight of himself in the mirror above the sink was a shock – he looked so _bad_. His skin was off-colour making him look grey, and his cheekbones stood out more than he remembered from the last time he’d seen his own reflection; despite the food he’d been given at Outer Heaven he’d lost a little weight.

“Ew…” Now that he was aware of his sickly appearance he wanted a wash. He felt stale. There was a pile of clean towels on top of the spare hamper, so he might as well take a shower while he was there. David unbuttoned the unfamiliar outfit he’d woken up in the previous day; he hadn’t had the energy to strip out of it before collapsing into bed before. Worryingly he had no idea how he’d ended up wearing it. At least he recognised the winged skull insignia embroidered on the sleeve.

The hot spray of water was a welcome feeling. For a while he just stood under it, soaking it up before he actually started to wash himself. As the layer of grime rinsed away he swore it made him feel better. He thought about food and got hungry, his stomach gurgling. Then he got nauseous and any delusion that the shower was making him better quickly vanished. His wash was soon finished up.

With a big towel wrapped around him he gathered up his strange new uniform and left to go back to his room. David couldn’t wait to be back in bed _. Man…I haven’t even done anything and I wanna go to sleep!_ He made sure to dry off before he let himself sit down, in case he passed out in his towel. A shirt and some underwear was pulled on from the cupboard, slowly because he was dizzy again after taking the stairs. He didn’t bother to brush his mop of wet hair, dampening the pillow from the cursory drying.

Rolling to face his door, he had a sudden great urge to see his brother in the neighbouring bedroom. In fact it surprised him just how much he wanted to see Eli. The craving brought him back to his feet again, across the tiny loft landing to the blonde’s room.

David knocked quietly. There was a noise from the other side. Permission to enter.

At the sight of Eli cocooned in his duvet he was filled with what he could only guess was relief. A tightness in his chest that he hadn’t noticed left his body.

“…What is it?” Eli murmured, opening an eye to take him in. _I don’t know._ Why had he been so compelled to go into his room?

“Um…I just wanted to see you.” Feeling just as puzzled as his twin looked, he backed out of the room to leave him in peace. _What the hell was that all about?_ The compulsion had been so strong - in fact it came back as soon as he turned away, as if he hadn’t just gone into his room to see him two seconds ago. It was too late to do it once more, he’d already closed the door. What was he going to say if he did anyway, _‘sorry I felt like I needed to look at you again’_? That didn’t sound weird or clingy at all.

~

George was told to go check on the twins and bring them food. He did so without complaining or rolling his eyes; he wanted to see for himself again how they were. The blonde was first.

Eli was much the same as David had left him, tucked snugly in his quilt. On the slanted ceiling the blind was down to keep the light out, so it took him a second for his eyes to adjust and spot him amongst the heap of bedding.

“Hey,” George called out, shaking the mattress with a foot. His younger brother groaned and pulled the covers over his face. “Get up. You got something to eat.” At the mention of food Eli peered out of his den and extended a hand toward the tray George was holding.

“Give it.” The tray was set down on the bedside table, pushing some old dirty dishes aside to make room. Eli squirmed out into the open like an eel to inspect the offering. It was just a bread roll with some butter on it, but it was enough to make his mouth water. He was starving. George had never seen someone eat so fast: one second the roll was on a plate and the next it was disappearing into Eli’s mouth. How on earth he managed to chew and swallow it so quick he had no idea. “Is that for me?” the blonde pointed to the other bread roll on the tray.

“No!” George put a hand between him and the food to stop him snatching it up again. Eli slowly retracted his arm and narrowed his eyes at the roll jealously.

“I’m _still hungry_.” As if on cue his insides grumbled.

“Take it easy, you haven’t eaten properly in a while.” The elder brother could see the weight he had lost, like his twin, with his torso exposed from the duvet the way it was. He was almost tempted to give him David’s half of the tray, if only to see the healthy flesh that had melted from his lean body return. It always disturbed him to see Eli like that...it reminded him of when he first moved in to be separated from V. When he was sick. “I’ll get you something else in a minute, just wait for that to go down. And wake yourself up a bit, you’re _supposed_ to be travelling today.”

George left to feed the other sibling, using his elbow on the handle of the door after knocking. David was sat on his bed reading one of his books. He looked up and nodded in greeting when George stepped in, completely unfussed that he was in his underwear in front of his big brother.

“‘ _The Man-Eating Myth’_ – you’re not _that_ hungry, are you?”

“Hm? Oh!” David saw that he was reading out the title. “No, I- actually I thought it would be a monster story or something but it’s just about people eating each other. I found it in that room downstairs…sorry that I took it.”

“That’s ok. You can take whatever you want, but you’ll probably find it boring.” The room in question was along the same side as George’s bedroom. It wasn’t being used for anything, so he kept bookcases in there to unclutter his own space. Like a small glorified library. “You want something to eat?” David’s face lit up, and he eyed the tray with new interest.

“Is that for me?” the question came again in the same voice Eli had used, minus the accent. George handed him the plate and watched as he devoured the roll almost as fast as his twin had. Somehow he’d half expected David to be a bit more controlled than the blonde, but they must have been more alike than he knew. That didn’t exactly bode well.

“You’re lucky I managed to rescue it from Eli.” David tried to say something past his full mouth, caught himself and tried again after swallowing.

“Is he awake?”

“Barely. You better stay up too, father wants to move you two later. I’m sure he’ll let you stay another day if you’re not up to it though.”

“Where are we going?”

“You’re staying with Venom again I think.” David smiled to himself. He’d enjoyed his time on Mother Base before; it would be nice to go back, especially to see the animals. Eli hadn’t gone with them…but he couldn’t remember why. George took the plate back. “You’re off to Alaska this time, so make sure you pack something warm.”

“Alaska?” _Jeez, I don’t think I have anything_ that _warm_ , Solid thought. “I don’t have any gloves.” But Solidus had already left with the empty tray, pulling the door so that it was ajar for when he came back with more food.

~

Obviously things would have to wait another day. Liquid was still comatose, and his twin could barely keep his eyes open - not to mention neither of them had any proper winter clothes. Snake knew they were supposed to be ‘recovering’, but he hadn’t expected them to be turned into a pair of narcoleptics. How strong had those drugs been?...It wasn’t just that - he knew that the mental strain that the _therapy_ had put them under would take longer to get over. Ocelot had told him as much. That was the reason he was doing this after all.

On the other point, Snake would have to get someone to buy the right clothing for them. No, it would be better for V to send someone. There would definitely be a shop in the area that stocked cold weather clothing. All he had to do was tell them the size and the twins could get their new wardrobe when they arrived. Now he just needed to find out what size they actually were.

Solidus had been loitering around him all day. Usually he did that when he wanted to say something, but whenever he asked what he wanted his son would insist that it was nothing and disappear. It was about time to get him back in the field anyway, he’d been back for more than a fortnight already.

While he worked at his desk he asked his eldest to get the boys food and ask about their clothes to give him something to do. Solidus was like him in as much as he liked to keep busy, especially when he was stressed; and Snake could tell that he was, even if he wouldn’t speak up.

Strangely enough he found himself at a loose end too after reading through the latest envelope of invoices. He sat back and realised he had nothing else to do, he’d already made the necessary arrangements and checked over expenses. It was rare that he had a spare moment in his own house. It made him uneasy, as though he were forgetting something – there was always work to be done.

The first thing he did on his own time was light up another cigar and lean back in the chair with a long, drawn out sigh. God, he needed a rest. He’d been running on fumes for so long, he hadn’t actually slept properly since…well since he’d taken Solid and Liquid to Ocelot.

Hopefully moving them on would take the weight of - whatever this was - off him. They would go tomorrow and he could get back to whatever job offers were bound to roll in by then, without having to worry about them. Until then he continued to be troubled. If all of this had taught him anything it was that his children were a lot more fragile than he’d thought.

He kept thinking about what Ocelot had told him back at Outer Heaven. He knew the long and short of it was that…he was a bad father. Certainly not a good one at the very least. Snake didn’t know if he could give his sons what they needed from him. But Venom could.

Once at the end of the cigar he got up to check on the twins himself. There hadn’t been a sound from them in a while; not even the slightest rustle. George had last been up there over an hour ago.

Going quietly so he could to listen at the same time, Snake climbed up to the loft and opened David’s door. He was slumped on his bed with a book by his leg, asleep. One of his hands still kept the place between the pages, so he must have drifted off reading it. Snake crossed to the bed to push him over gently so he could lie down properly, spotting a streak of red on the side of his thigh. David was bleeding.

As he inspected it another drop fell from his face to join the rest. _A nosebleed_. Snake craned his neck to see the underside of David’s lowered head and tried to swipe it away with his thumb, but all that did was smear it on his face and make even more trickle out.

He shook him awake and gathered the towel that had been forgotten at the foot of the bed to bundle it up and push it under his nose.

“What’s…going on?” A dazed David obediently held the towel in place as his hand was guided. At once he tasted the blood and pulled the towel away to look at the dark stain forming there, noticing the same on his bare thighs. Torpidly he put two and two together. “I’m bleeding?”

“Keep that there. No don’t pinch it, just let it come out…No, don’t tilt your head back either.”

“I’m bleeding,” he said again, voice stifled by the previously white towel. The situation was a jarring one to wake up to.

“It’ll stop in a minute.” Snake used the other end of the towel to mop the blood from his lap.

“Does this mean I have to go back to hospital?” _Did George tell him that?_

“No. Do you still feel sick?” Either way he’d already resolved to send them to V the next day. David would just have to feel sick there instead.

“I don’t think so…”

“Good.” Snake, at a loss for what else to do after cleaning him up, patted him on the head and left to check on Eli.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd appreciate you guys' comments, especially now I'm taking the story somewhere new  
> I like to hear what you think <3


	28. New Room

It was very cold. They trotted along behind Venom in the thickest clothes they had -  hoodies -  that they’d put on to protect them from this very problem, only to find that they may as well have been wearing tissue paper for all the warmth it gave them. Perhaps the worst part about it was that it wasn’t even snowy. At least that would have added some fun to the suffering.

“Where are our coats?!”

“Where do you think we’re going?” V called over his shoulder at Eli. All three of them were walking fast to get to what was going to be their new home for…who knew how long. The twins certainly didn’t. Nobody told them anything.

Just minutes ago they had touched down at FOXHOUND in the chopper, where Venom was waiting for them. Eli had pulled David over with him for a hug, and the brunette could feel the prosthetic leeching the heat out of him where it was pressing into his back. The metal had been chilled by the air until it was like ice.

Snake hadn’t gone with them in the helicopter; his goodbyes had been said as they got in. It had been quick and unceremonious, with the twins expecting to be whisked back in the near future and him not knowing what to say. He watched them fly away, and knew he wouldn’t get to see them again anytime soon.

“Is this place nice?” Eli asked as they crunched over the gritted path. “Is it big?”

“Don’t expect much,” V warned them.

“It’s rubbish then,” the blonde muttered to his brother.

FOXHOUND looked like an interesting place. The buildings they were walking between were identical, two storey, set out in rows and divided by dark trees. They must have been barracks. There weren’t a lot, and they passed by them quickly. The path cut through a uniform rectangle of grass, one of many, crusted white with frost until it branched off in different directions. Again they passed close to another long building, much larger than the others, until Venom led them down a different route. It was quite the maze.

“What’s in there?” Eli pointed at the structure, though V had his back to them.

“Nothing for you.” He didn’t want them sniffing around here, so he dismissed it. Inside was a gym and a pool – but he expected the mention of it would make them want to use it. Someone pushed out of the double doors at that moment and waved to another smoking outside their barrack across the grass. Eli, who had one previous visit to Outer Heaven not stolen from his memory, already found the atmosphere of this place more relaxed. Then again this was just a training facility; Outer Heaven was a full blown mercenary fortress.

“Is it far?” David finally spoke up. Their belongings had been crammed into a pair of bulky camo backpacks this time, getting heavier with every other step under their waning stamina. V’s lack of an answer wasn’t promising.

Together they made their way through the complex, purposely avoiding the busier areas wherever they could and taking the quieter route. With the position of the landing pad they only had to cross one corner of the facility to reach their destination.

Every now and then in the distance Eli could see activity, and always made sure to mention it to his dad. He had an awful feeling that this place would be boring, so he was eager to hear something of interest; though Venom would always brush it aside in one way or another. Occasionally over the calm they would hear a voice barking orders from afar, or a burst of controlled gunfire.

V’s place was set on the periphery of the complex, between a line of ammunition igloos and an unused patch of land thick with conifers that were yet to be cut down. Far behind it the trees had been cleared to make way for the chain-link fence inside of a tall stone wall that marked the border of FOXHOUND.

The house itself was a brick square of two storeys, with small windows and metal stops on the roof to fix heavy snow drifts in place during the winter.

“Take your shoes off,” Venom told them as he reached the door. Grit from the pathways was a pain to get off the carpet when it was brought in. The first floor was entirely open plan; only a small kitchen in the corner and a living room, with basic furniture that looked like it had never been touched. Inside the walls were all wood panelled.

“…Is this it?” the blonde grumbled after scuttling in behind him. He’d stayed in worse, but his standards had been raised over the years of living with Snake in the nice California house. Venom was already at the stairs, guiding them up and ignoring the comment.

“Do you want the good news or the bad news first?” he turned at the top of the stairs to the twins.

“Good,” David offered.

“Alright, the good news is you’ve got the TV in your room, and it’s the bigger room. The bad news is that there are only two rooms so you’re both sharing.” V motioned to the door at the far end of the hall.

“ _Aw what!”_ Eli piped up, pouting.

“Bathroom’s there…that’s about it. Make yourselves at home.”

“Is there anything to do here?”

“No.” Their father stepped aside to let them pass and begin their small exploration. “I know you won’t listen but keep out of my things.”

“Where are you going? Let me guess – _work_.” Eli spied him going back down the stairs.

“PX actually, we need some food.”

“Oh. Carry on then.” He could do with some snacks. With his twin following him he went to their bedroom for their first look. It had been dubbed the ‘big one’, but inside it was only just larger than either of theirs in California. When V heard that they were going to be staying with him he swapped rooms and beds so they had more space to share. At the end of the two single beds a television was pushed against the wall on its stand by a single chest of drawers.

“It’s our coats.” David noticed the piles of clothes folded on the beds. “Whose is whose?”

“That one’s mine!” The blonde darted in to pick up the closest coat. Both of them were blue and purple, but he snatched up the one with green accents instead of the pink.

“Says who?”

“Says me because I’m touching it.”

“That’s not fair!”

“Hehe, what’s the matter? There’s nothing wrong with the other one.”

“Then why don’t _you_ take it?”

“Stop fighting!” Venom called below from the door, hurrying to leave so he didn’t have to listen to them bicker. They waited, paused, until they heard the door close and continued.

“I think we should toss a coin or something.”

“It’s too late! You snooze you lose, brother.”

“Hmph.” David shuffled in past his twin and accepted his new outfit. There was more than just the coats on each bed, they had a few new long sleeved shirts and waterproof trousers, thick socks, thermal leggings, gloves, a scarf and a bobble hat each. At least he preferred his hat and scarf to the ones Eli got.

“I’ll take the top drawers and you can have the bottom ones.” Eli lifted his new garments and carried them to the chest of drawers, squeezing them in haphazardly. Then he sat suddenly and huffed, rubbing his eyes slowly. “…I have a giant fucking headache.”

“Me too.” He’d had a headache since he had first woken up yesterday. At one point it had gotten so bad that it’d made his nose bleed. At least that’s how he guessed it was started, Snake hadn’t shed any light on the situation. Being the one closer to their little window David closed the curtains to make it easier on their eyes. “Are you really tired as well?”

“Yeah…”

“Me too.” Before their conversation sucked all the motivation out of him he put his clothes away, sitting down next to his twin on the floor.

“I feel like I’ve been in a coma for ages…I can’t remember getting ill…I can’t remember _being_ ill.”

“Me either.” David took more care placing his new clothes in the drawers than his sibling had.

“I wish I was better already. Isn’t that the whole point of coming home from medical?” The drawer was closed and the brunette settled back alongside him. “I hope V brings back something sugary. Never thought I’d say this but I’m sick of sleeping.” He’d come so close to calling him daddy in front of David. _Boy that would’ve been embarrassing._

“I might go see what the bathroom’s like. Or I’ll just end up going bed again.”

“Same here – I’ll do it anyway and wake up when there’s food.” Neither of them moved on their little plans. It was so warm in the house that it was relaxing after the freezing trek across FOXHOUND.

“Goodnight. Uh, middle-of-the-day night.”

“Night.” Eli eventually made to get up, automatically leaning to the side to plant a kiss on David’s lips as he did. It wasn’t until his twin flinched away that he even understood what he’d done, and drew back as well with an equally stunned look on his face. “…I didn’t mean to do that! I-I don’t know why I did that!”

“Dude what the hell?”

“It was an accident!”

“What?” David snorted behind the hand he’d raised to cover his mouth and started to chuckle shakily.

“I didn’t mean to do that…” he repeated and tried to join in with a nervous smile. Luckily his brother was trying to laugh it off. “Please don’t tell anyone I did that.”

“Yeah, whatever.” The laughter died off far too quickly and Eli stood up in the strained silence that followed, this time without humiliating himself, and scurried over to the bed he’d found his clothes on – _his_ bed, now. There was no way he was taking anything off after that, so he got in dressed as he was.

David got up too to look around the rest of the house. “Night,” he mumbled again as he shut the bedroom door behind him.

 _Dammit I wish he hadn’t done that…_ The whole reason he’d wanted to see the bathroom was because he needed to jerk off; it felt like it’d been months since he last came. And it had been perfect timing too: V was out and Eli was going to be napping. That was obviously going to be the closest thing to privacy he would get here now that they were sharing a room.

Would it be weird to rub one out after that? _Yeah, it fucking would_. Eli wouldn’t not suspect something if he went into the bathroom for a few minutes now, and it was right next to their room so he could probably hear him…Of course he’d try his hardest to be quiet, but he expected Eli would have his ear pricked. Or he was just thinking into it too much. Probably that. _I’ll go downstairs first so he’ll be sleeping when I come back up_.

There wasn’t much to see on the first floor that couldn’t be seen at a glance, but he made a point of going through all the cupboards anyway to waste time. The kitchen cabinets were all made from faux wood veneer, and the countertops were marble finish plastic. Affordable, unlike the real granite and oak kitchen in his real father’s house. He imagined that someone in charge of a place like this one – he couldn’t see Big Boss being subordinate – would have a much nicer and bigger place to live. Maybe he just didn’t like expensive, the rooms on Mother Base had been the same; not cheap, but purely practical.

V had been right to get more food for them all. There was nothing in any of the cupboards or the small fridge-freezer except for a box of energy bars that David pilfered for a snack. It wasn’t like anyone would notice, the box was huge. As he munched on the bar he did slow circuits around the sofa and daydreamed. There were four grooves in the carpet where he guessed the television had been. Hopefully there were some tapes too or they’d be watching static – he hadn’t seen any cables. He doubted there would be anything to attach them to anyway all the way out here, from the helicopter he’d seen nothing but a sea of black treetops on the way in.

The snack was finished off and still he waited even more. He could feel his body getting hot in anticipation of the relief, distracting himself with the pacing until he decided it had been long enough and climbed the stairs in a tiptoe. David wanted to check that his twin was unconscious so he bent down to look through the keyhole in case the sound of the door woke him up. Eli was fast asleep on the other side, breathing slow and deep. _Perfect_.

He thought back to the kiss and grimaced; he didn’t want that memory in his head right at that moment.

With the stage set he finally went into the bathroom. It was dark without a window, long and narrow with a bathtub along the end wall. There was a bolt lock on the door, and he slid it across immediately. He couldn’t pull himself out fast enough, already halfway hard and desperate to get to work.

Perched on the lid of the toilet David pumped himself fast, careful to keep everything quiet. It wasn’t easy though, he was so worked up from teasing himself with the wait. Barely a minute in he had to use some tissue to mop up the clear sticky liquid dribbling out of him, keeping his mess to a minimum.

All he could think about was how good it would feel to cum at long last, until Eli’s accidental smooch cropped up unexpectedly and made him falter with a frown. _Not right now, for god’s sake._ It hadn’t been a particularly fraternal kiss either, he’d closed his mouth over his proper to mould them together. _Why the hell is he so weird?_

He pushed it from his mind and sped up again, feeling the pull of the finish in his gut. It didn’t take much until he was squirming and sighing _. I need this…I can’t…wait…_ In the build up to his orgasm he had to turn his head into his shoulder to cover up his whimpering, but it wasn’t enough to mute his outburst when he came. “Mmh!” David squirted into the ball of toilet paper, seizing up with pleasure. After going so long without it was intense, like he was literally bursting.

When he floated back down enough to start cleaning up the front door opened and Venom announced the arrival of food to the house. David rushed to get rid of the tissues and wash his hands before his father noticed he was even in there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to know if you're still enjoying this mess


	29. Igloos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments, I'm ready to go again :3

Eli was shocked awake by his twin pinching his ear. At first he couldn’t tell what it was, but he heard David’s voice when he tried to swipe his attacker away sluggishly.

“Hey get up, dinner’s ready.”

“Noooo,” he protested, pulling his quilt over his head as best he could to hide himself. “Five more minutes.”

“You said that last time, and I left you for _hours_. C’mon, it’s getting cold!” The blonde peeked out from the bed, squinting in the light that had been switched on moments ago (it was dark behind the drawn curtains) and wondering when he’d supposedly tried to wake him last. Then he remembered – he’d been so out of it he thought he had been dreaming when it happened.

“Oh yeah. Can’t you bring it up here or something?”

“No way.”

“…Fine.” Peeling back the duvet and releasing precious sleepy heat he noticed that he was still dressed, and again recalled kissing his brother. Right on the lips. _Oh yeah…Shit_. Eli cringed behind the safety of his messy bangs, willing David to go away so he didn’t have to be embarrassed around him. Little did he know that David was trying to make a point of not avoiding him to stop things from getting awkward, as they no doubt would if they didn’t act like it never happened. Best to just forget about it.

In the end was it really as strange as them cuddling in bed at night? Eli couldn’t remember what had started that habit off, but they did do it. Was it because Snake had told him off for something? _That sounds about right. Yeah…I killed that guy for David. I nearly forgot._ Now that they had small beds they would have to stop. Eli was oddly disappointed; he liked having David there with him. It was…comforting.

They all ate together at the small square table, huddled around their plates. Venom had made something easy for them to stomach, and easy for him to cook, that would hopefully fill them up - spaghetti. Despite having the much larger portion he finished before they did. He had to tell Eli to stop slurping his food twice. Neither of the twins could finish their meals and forfeited the rest to their father.

Liquid was stuck taking his turn to do the dishes, but after his chore he was free. He asked moodily if the dishes needed drying too and his father told him to run along. Liquid did just that, moving at an unnecessary speed through the small house.

Upstairs in his shared room his brother was already in his pjs, testing out his new bed.

“Did you think your bed was comfy?” Solid elbowed the mattress beneath him to level out the springs.

“It was alright.”

“Um, he – _V_ ,” he wasn’t sure if he should refer to him as ‘dad’ or not, “said that it was forecast snow this week. Sounds pretty cool, huh.”

“I guess.” _Finally! I thought it was meant to do that in Alaska anyway._ Solid saw his coy little smile, though he wasn’t exactly facing his way now that he was sat on his bed too, and decided to carry on with the topic.

“Have you ever been in the snow before?”

“Well…” It didn’t snow much in the old city he was raised in, and it definitely didn’t fall during his stint in Africa. “It would snow on the moor in winter.” The brunette didn’t know what that meant, but he didn’t bring it up in case it made him look ignorant in front of his twin. “What about you?”

“It snowed real hard in some of the places I’ve lived.” He stretched and Liquid’s eyes were instantly drawn to a swathe of skin that appeared as his top was pulled up. “V said we’re not allowed to walk around too far from the house…so let’s hope it’s deep around here.”

“When exactly did he tell you all this? I can’t remember it.”

“Earlier on. You were asleep up here.”

“Oh.” The same sense of jealousy that had materialised during their trip to Mother Base crept up on him once more. He didn’t like being left out. “I’m going to take a bath.” Liquid pulled his backpack out from under the bed to find the pyjamas he’d been told to bring – not the duck ones this time, all his decent clothes had been cleaned before coming here so he had a normal pair.

Solid was lost as to why he’d left when they had been in the middle of talking. It wasn’t easy to strike up a conversation that both of them could keep up with.

Next door and faced with the tub the blonde wondered if his father could even fit in it; his shoulders _had_ to be too wide. He, on the other hand, fit perfectly. It had been so long since he’d last had a bath…he’d been accustomed to the shower in ‘his’ washroom at the big house, and it was the only option on Mother Base. The stillness and heat dulled the perpetual headache he was suffering at ever varying degrees. Venom had brought some painkillers back as well, lucky for him.

At the back of his mind he imagined falling asleep in the peacefulness and drowning, quickly sitting up to carry on washing.

As he was lathering his hair up (with product that was way below his hair’s standard, in his opinion) he let himself muse over his little _slip up_ with his twin. It mortified him so much that he could feel his face burning whenever he thought about it, but since he couldn’t stop he decided to get it out of his system.

He was very confused. With his perverse predilection for his brothers wiped from his mind the unintentional kiss only served to unsettle him. What on earth had possessed him to do it?

To think, he’d wasted his first kiss on his idiot twin – it had just occurred to him that, as far as he knew, he’d never done it before. _Not that I care about lovey-dovey schoolgirl crap like that anyway. I bet David hasn’t done it yet either._ He could still picture the bewildered look on his face clearly, so close to his own, rushing to cover his mouth. _What, did he think I was going to do it twice?_

Once his bath was done he stayed to dry and dress himself before going back to his room. Thankfully he’d had the foresight to bring his pjs in with him or he’d be changing in front of his brother. He’d got naked to dress in front of him before, but in light of recent events he’d prefer not to do it again that night.

Solid had decided to get under the covers by the time the blonde got back. “Are you going sleep?” he paused by the light switch, ready to flick it off.

“Yeah.” Liquid spared him one last glance before the light went out, having to stop to take in the sight at the other end of the small room.

“What…the _hell_ is that on your head?”

“Don’t laugh ok, I have a headache.”

“HAHAHA!” The brunette had a teddy bear draped over his forehead, with a patchwork heart sewn into its chest and a pyjama hat onto its head. “Oh my lord!” he darted forward, crawling over his own bed to grab it off his twin. The middle of the teddy was hot. “What’s the deal with this? It stinks like oatmeal.”

“It’s from when I was a kid, alright!”

“Sure it is. Why’s it boiling hot?”

“You’re supposed to microwave it.” The fit of laughter started anew, and Solid had to grin at his pure amusement. “Why is that so funny? It helps with my head.”

“Oh my gooood.” Trying to compose himself he held his breath and took another look. Its fur was getting coarse with age, and the glass eyes and nose had long since fallen off. ‘David’ had been stitched poorly onto the little stripy hat. “You are such a big baby. Why haven’t you thrown it out yet?”

“Because,” Solid took the opportunity to steal it back while his guard was down, “it’s _mine_. Turn the light out already would ya?” The bear was laid back in place.

~

In the morphing bubble of his dreamscape he was suddenly stirred from the unknowing blackness and sat in a place he knew: his hideout in a lifeboat on Mother Base. He felt safe there in his secret place. In his private place. David was with him too.

“Do you like it here?” he asked, somehow already knowing the answer would be yes. David smiled and nodded. “I like you.” Even in his dream he wasn’t sure why he’d felt the need to tell him so.

“I like you too.” A strong sense of déjà vu pierced into the unconscious fantasy from a part of him that had been erased.

“Can I kiss you?” Eli blurted out, surprising himself. Somehow he obscurely sensed that he was dreaming. The short distance between them was closed by his unfazed sibling until their lips were touching, the rush of excitement making his body flush and sweat in the waking world.

 

Their meeting was cut short before they even broke away when he surfaced from the dream, utterly awake. Even lying still he could feel his clothes sticking to his damp skin. The distress he had been experiencing over his embarrassing mistake came back, radically intensified. It certainly didn’t help that he had an erection. _Because of David? But...I don’t like him that way!_

 _(Then why did I kiss him? Why did I_ dream _about kissing him?)_

_…Do I?_

A pale morning light was seeping under the curtains. Faintly he could see his sibling beside him, underneath the microwaveable teddy. _No I’m just imagining it. I’m fine._

~

It didn’t snow the next day, or the one after that. The twins watched the skies darken with thick promising clouds, only to be let down when it refused to fall. They tried on their new clothes to go for a walk around the tall trees outside, but didn’t wander far in any other direction. Things got a lot more interesting when they found an axe in the cupboard under the stairs, smuggling it into the small wooded patch by the house to take turns hacking away at the limb of a fallen tree. When they broke all the way through they both cheered, distracted from the tedium of their empty day.

The newfound activity was short lived though, as Venom caught them marching home with the axe. They spotted him at the door and tried to slink off before they realised it was too late to get away undetected. He didn’t have to call them, they just went up to him and handed the hatchet over sheepishly.

On the third night the clouds burst, covering FOXHOUND in a blanket of white. It wasn’t the first snow of the year, but it was the deepest. David saw it first when he opened the curtains after rolling out from under his duvet, telling his brother through the bedroom wall between them into the bathroom. Forgetting their breakfast they hurried to get dressed and headed out into the crisp day in their new moon boots.

The surface of the snow was unbroken save for their father’s footsteps that had been trodden into the thick layer long before they had gotten up.

“Don’t just stand there, move it!” Eli urged his sibling out of the door impatiently. He tumbled out behind and headed to step on some fresh snow. The powder, which was most of the way up his shin, engulfed his stamping boot. “Woah it’s so deep!” David had to fight down the impulse to say ‘yeah I get that a lot’ again. That joke hadn’t been well received last time.

“Think so? I’ve seen more bef-”as he had fully been expecting Eli thrust a handful of snow into his face. Since he hadn’t been expecting it so soon the icy shock, paired with the fact that Eli had all but slapped him, made him stumble and fall onto his butt. There was a split second while on the ground to make the decision to be angry about it, but the blonde looked so proud of himself he resolved not to ruin the fun right away.

Eli bounced off in anticipation of his retaliation. Snow was already being gathered in the brunette’s hands as he got back on his feet to chase him.

The first throw missed completely, and the second glanced off of his arm. “Eli stand still or it’s not fair!”

“HOW?!”

“I wasn’t moving when _you_ hit _me!_ ”

“So I should let you get me while I’m just standing there?”

“That’s what you did to me!” While he was trying to negotiate Eli was getting further away, always in a zigzag to avoid any frozen projectiles that might be lobbed at him. It was hard work for both of them, having to lift their knees up high to clear the snow.

Once he felt that he was far enough, Eli looked back to watch his sibling’s pitiful effort to catch up. Every time he got too close for comfort he plodded away again. The cycle looped them around the back of their house, allowing David to get closer while hidden behind one side. He squeezed his handful once more to pack it tighter and got his brother’s attention. “Eli!”

As the blonde was turning the lucky snowball hit him square in the face. It wasn’t enough to knock him down, but he did wobble. “Yes!”

“That went in my eye,” he whined, looking and sounding very sorry for himself. The slush was wiped off with a sleeve.

“Payback.”

“Can’t we do something else?”

“Why, because you’re losing?”

“No! _Because_ – this is boring!”

“Fine.” David couldn’t be bothered to deal with his bad temper by provoking him further. “Uh…what about those?” He pointed behind his twin. “We can use an oven tray or something to sled down the sides of those pyramids.” _Does he mean the bunkers?_ the blonde thought. _Pyramids. That’s cute._ At the mention of them having fun together his mood quickly lightened again.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea!” Together they went in to raid the kitchen cupboards for a flat surface big enough for them to sit on. The only item to fit the bill was a single plastic serving tray that they would have to share.

Back out in the cold, trudging toward the ammunition igloos, they heard a voice rise somewhere in the compound. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence but they both turned their heads to look anyway, the pompoms on their hats bobbing.

“I wonder what it’s like in the rest of this place.” The house wasn’t exactly far from the rest of FOXHOUND.

“I don’t know, I’ve never been here.”

The igloos were a lot bigger – and steeper - up close. David got the first go because he had managed to grab the tray before his sibling (who always fought to be first). He scrabbled up the sloped side of the bunker and moved along the spine to find a path he hadn’t ruined with his climbing. It took a bit of manoeuvring so the tray didn’t skid down before him, but he eventually plonked himself on it. The snow wasn’t packed hard enough, so most of it sloughed off with him when he slid down with a little ‘woo!’. “That looked rubbish,” Eli remarked, stood with his arms crossed at the foot of the slope.

“It was pretty fun.”

“Alright hand it over then.”

They took turns until one side of the bunker had been stripped of snow, and moved on the other. Then, once that too had been depleted, they had to move onto the next one altogether. More than once they lost control and spun down like a top, the momentum made worse by the feet they had to stick in the air because the tray wasn’t big enough for them.

Time moved fast for them, especially compared to the monotony of their Alaska lives so far. Just after midday their hunger tore them away from their makeshift sledding to get some food, which ended up being the energy bars the brunette had found tucked away. Crouched on the kitchen floor, eating them right out of the box like a pair of animals, the exhaustion from running and climbing gradually caught up with the brothers.

Both of them gradually fell back into a sit, their chewing getting less and less frantic. “I thought these were supposed to have caffeine in them or something.”

“Yeah. I’m gonna go take a nap,” David said past a mouthful. His twin was reluctant to join him; he didn’t want to make it seem like he was following him. There had been a subtle tension between them for the past few days, at its worst when they were in silence or close together, and Eli was sure he wasn’t only one who felt it - that is, he didn’t want to be the only one who did. He had convinced himself it was his fault for starting it when he kissed him.

“Uh…me too.” The wrappers were collected and thrown away before they left.

Their wet waterproof coats and trousers were hung off of the door to dry out. Eli had managed to avoid changing in front of his twin, but when David started taking his kit off he didn’t want to seem suspicious and leave to do the same in another room. It wasn’t like they were naked underneath anyway, they had their thermal tops and leggings on. He couldn’t help but notice how nicely the brunette’s underclothes fit him.

Especially in the ass department.

“We need an alarm clock. I don’t like sleeping all day.” David thinking aloud snapped his sibling’s attention back to the task at hand.

“T-totally, me neither.” When he climbed in bed he made sure he was facing the opposite direction.


	30. Temptation

Venom was hesitant to ask Kaz about the twins - he wanted them to stay with _him -_ but he did so anyway because he was sure he’d refuse. Just as he predicted Miller spat ‘what, so they can watch me get fucking drunk every night?’ down the phone.

“Is that a no?” V answered facetiously. Kaz just hung up, he didn’t have the energy nor the insobriety level to deal with it. That was a common routine for them now: they would call most nights despite seeing each other at work hours before; he would be varying degrees of pissed off depending on how much he’d had to drink before the call and Venom would occasionally be sarcastic back when he wasn’t quietly listening to him rant.

Recently every unhelpful comment he supplied felt more and more like a barb. It had everything to do with the fact that he’d spotted Venom smoking an actual cigar between pummelling his rookies with CQC as a lesson. _When_ had he started doing that? Was it just to fuck with him or something? The sight had been so jarring. And the smell…it was

like _him_

and he hated it. It was as though he was becoming more like the original. What if, one day, he couldn’t even tell the difference anymore?

~

Eli ended up turning around. A short distance away David was on his back trying to fall asleep, opening an eye when he felt the blonde’s gaze boring a hole into him.

“What?”

“What?” Eli parroted.

“Why are you looking at me?”

“Because you’re looking at me.” David didn’t bother to correct him, closing his eyes again to ignore him. After a few seconds had passed he relented and checked to see if his brother had even looked away. He hadn’t.

“What is it?!”

“Nothing - I’m not doing anything!”

“Just go to sleep, I thought you were tired.”

“I _am,_ ” he huffed, covering his green eyes with his hands.

“You know you can just use your eyelids for that.” David did what his twin couldn’t bring himself to do – turn his head away. There was no snarky comment thrown back for once, leaving him to drift off in peace. Or so he thought.

At the very moment he got nice and relaxed, long after they had stopped talking, Eli brought him back to the present with his mumbling.

“ _Psst_. Are you still awake?”

“I am now,” the brunette hissed. His tone must have put Eli off because he didn’t elaborate on the interruption without prompting. “What is it?”

“I can’t sleep.”

“How is that my problem?”

“It’s not. Just…can I like…sleep in with you?” _Seriously!_

“No, there’s no room.” David could almost _hear_ him pouting, but he refused to glance back at his sulky face.

“Yes there is, if you lie on your side!”

“And get squished against the wall?” There was a second of quiet before he heard Eli fussing with his duvet. _Is he getting up? Good, maybe I’ll actually be able to sleep!_ He jumped out of his skin when he felt his twin’s hand on his shoulder, pushing him out of the way to make space for himself. “Eli!” The blonde payed him no mind, shoving his way into bed until he was tucked in next to him, back to back. “Are you happy now?”

“Yep.” As he had pointed out there wasn’t a whole lot of room for the both of them on the single mattress. They had to lie flush against one another, which David had never really had a problem with. This time though…there was something sort of weird about it; more so than the way they were used to sleeping, with their arms around each other. Through their touching ribs he could feel an echo of Eli’s heart, hammering.

“…Are you sure you’re ok?” It hadn’t escaped his attention that he’d been acting strangely recently _. Well, strangER_ _than usual._

“Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?” _I don’t know, why wouldn’t you be?_

~

The clouds rumbled overhead, the great growling slowly getting closer and blackening the sky. They stayed blissfully unaware through the approaching storm, even when the sleet started battering the roof, until a mighty clap of thunder sounded over the entirety of FOXHOUND.

Solid and Liquid lifted their heads in unison. Past their curtains the world was flashing and roaring. The lightning abated for a short while, allowing them to notice another sound they weren’t all that familiar with. A telephone, struggling to be heard over the commotion. Solid had to push his sibling out in order to get up himself to answer it.

It was difficult to track where it was ringing from underneath the barrage of noise. They found it downstairs, set up on the carpet in a corner with an answering machine that picked up before they were able to.

_“Boys, it’s me. I’m gonna be home later tonight because of this weather so make sure you eat something. Please. And don’t go outside.”_

The set beeped as Venom ended the call.

“So we have to cook tea?” Liquid was right behind him, looking glum from his sudden awakening. The brunette was too busy looking at the wire the phone was attached too – if they had a landline, surely they could get TV too. Eager to shirk the duty of preparing food Liquid starting rummaging through the cupboards to find something easy. In the low light he almost missed a packet of popcorn. All he would need to do is chuck it in the microwave.

Equipped with their Tupperware tub of popcorn a few minutes later they went back into their room to watch the storm from the little window. The air was blurry with the icy deluge, but every now and then they would see a streak of lightning strike below the cloud cover. Their impressed _oohs_ were muffled by the thunder that followed immediately after.

As fascinating as the weather was Solid had detected his brother taking occasional peeks at him, apparently no longer interested in the food or the view outside. It was making him uncomfortable. It occurred to him then that that was the issue - everything his sibling was doing made him uneasy, which was a problem in itself because Liquid hadn’t been doing anything he hadn’t done before; apart from when he’d given him that especially ardent kiss. And that _should_ have been hilarious. If he’d heard such an embarrassing story from anyone else he would have been in stitches. So what was different? Something had definitely happened to make him skittish with Liquid, and it wasn’t just the damn kiss.

 _It’s got to be me. Overthinking it. Maybe he was right:_ I’m _the one looking at_ him _all the time. Does this mean I was the one who made it weird?_ Pointedly focussing on the lightning he could still see the blonde flicking his eyes back and forth from his face to the window at the edge of his peripheries. _No, he’s definitely looking at_ me _. Should I say something? Nah that would probably make it worse_. “Do you have a headache again?” Liquid had to lean in slightly to be heard, his warm breath puffing in his ear. Solid had been grimacing, clearly not enjoying the storm anymore.

“Er, yeah. Back in a sec.” The brunette shot up off his kneeling rest by the windowsill and left for the bathroom. He was so jittery that his hands were trembling as he ran the cold tap to drink and splash on his face. As strange as it sounded admitting it to himself he couldn’t wait until Venom came back home, so they weren’t alone. _I’m getting worked up over nothing. What am I so afraid Eli will do?_

When he re-emerged his twin was gone too. Outside FOXHOUND had reached the eye of the storm, becoming tranquil again for a while. Solid resolved to lie back in bed, though he wasn’t planning on sleeping again. They wouldn’t be able to go sledding again that day. The downpour had likely washed the snow away anyway.

Liquid came back in holding his old bear carefully; looking, perhaps for the first time, somewhat apologetic. At least, that’s what he thought his expression was displaying. Liquid spoke up before he was questioned.

“I cooked this thing for you. For your head. Here.” The teddy was flung onto the pillow. “Is it bad?”

“It’s not burning.”

“I mean the headache.”

“Oh.” _That totally real headache._ “It’s alright. Thanks.” Solid lay it over his brow and watched his brother stand over him awkwardly, as if he expected him to say something more.

“So. You’re going back to bed?”

“Yeah, for now.”

“Ok, cool.” _Why’s he acting all spooked? What is it with him?_ “Hey do you mind if I do too? I’m uh, still tired.”

“…You don’t have to ask permission dude.”

“Alright.” The brunette hadn’t realised he meant getting into _his_ bed again, but by the time Liquid was under the covers it was too late. Solid scooted to the wall, turning away. This time though Liquid stayed facing him. There was a palpable moment of hesitation while he hovered his hands over him; finally taking the plunge and looping them around Solid’s middle.

 _…This doesn’t feel like it used to._ With Liquid’s face resting at the nape of his neck all his hairs stood on end. “I had a lot of fun today, David.”

“Me too.” The arms tightened as his sibling made himself more comfortable.

“You know…I’ve been meaning to ask you something, actually. It’s a bit dumb, but it’s been on my mind.” _God - where is this going?_

“What is it?”

“The other day when you came into my room and said you wanted to see me…what did you mean?”

“I guess I wanted to check you were ok. We were still pretty sick.”

“Ah.” It almost sounded as though he had been expecting a different answer. Solid remembered how surprised he’d been at himself that day, suddenly desperate to be in the presence of his twin. Had that been what triggered his nervousness around him - some kind of subconscious self-doubt surrounding his feelings? _That can’t be right. I don’t_ feel _anything. Eli’s my brother._

As far as he could tell his company wasn’t attempting to sleep either. His eyelashes tickled his neck whenever he blinked behind him. “You feel really warm, are you too hot in this?” the blonde tugged on the material of his top to indicate what he meant. “Maybe you should take it off.”

“ _No,_ ” Solid choked, quickly adjusting his tone to make it less forceful. “N-no it’s fine.”

“Are you sure? It is a _thermal_ -”

“-It’s not bothering me, really.”

“…Good.” Not even Eli knew what he was doing. He’d had another rather questionable dream about David, this time undressing in front of him, well on its way to becoming a wet one before the storm had interrupted it. In the faint light neither he nor his twin had noticed the dark spot of precum on his leggings. _I’m not doing anything wrong_ , he reminded himself, _it’s only a hug…_ Eli needed to touch him, badly.

He arched his lower body away to keep from prodding the dark haired sibling with his prick. It was still mostly soft, but one could never be too careful with it. Under his palm he could feel a nipple peaking from the contact, and was glad he had the foresight to move his groin back because it jumped and flooded to life. _It’s just a hug. It’s just a hug._

“Um…isn’t your arm getting dead?” David wanted him to stop before he noticed the result of his tingling chest.

“Not at all…” he sounded considerably more breathless than he had moments ago.

“You’re holding too tight-” With a wiggle he tried to shrug the arms off their target, but they stayed fast. A hand was stuck back to push him, landing on his thigh dangerously close to his hard-on. At that Eli finally lost his nerve and let go, slipping out of the bed to get away from David’s blind fumbling.

“ _Fine_ , I’ll go in my own bed.” Eli turned immediately to hide the excitement between his legs.

"C'mon, you don't have to leave altogether!"

"It's too late, I'm up now." The brunette didn't argue the point further so he got under his own duvet. Eli swallowed a lump in his throat, abruptly ashamed with himself.


	31. Games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember to check out this adorable art that hellojoyfulblazebouquet did for the fic on tumblr!  
> http://hellojoyfulblazebouquet.tumblr.com/post/168349985632/hhh-some-fanart-of-a-scene-from-serpentine

Eli didn’t get introspective very often, but he had a few big questions to ask himself after that. The fact that he could still hear David noisily flicking through pages beside him didn’t make it any easier to concentrate. He was a loud reader, he’d come to realise. Whenever something happened on the paper he’d audibly acknowledge it with a _hmm_.

Usually Eli would have twisted to glare at him, but he didn’t think he could take seeing his face right then. He caught himself and sternly told himself not to be so stupid, it was only David. Then he glanced at him over his shoulder and the brunette, noticing the movement from his otherwise still twin, gave him a small smile and asked:

“Can’t sleep?” Eli nearly snapped his neck whipping his head back, his cheeks burning. _Dammit_.

He tried to think back on a time he had ever been so attached to someone that it made him feel what he was experiencing now. His memory was more greatly affected than his brothers, with Ocelot having to manipulate years’ worth of pining for George as opposed to a few weeks in David’s case, rendering it physically painful to try and recall anything that had happened to him after turning twelve.

Eli battled through the migraine-inducing process only to come to the conclusion that he hadn’t. He’d been attached to his other brother and to Venom, but not in the same way; not to the point of making him flustered. So this was new to him.

_I could really use some help here…_

~

Their troubled minds hadn’t cleared by the next morning. V had come home late after the storm with a box full of games that he’d asked Miller to get for them since he didn’t have the time to drive out himself. They were all from a second hand shop, but he was assured that they were intact – and they’d hopefully stop the twins from going stir-crazy in the little house.

Playing screwball scramble around Eli proved impossible because he would get frustrated watching his sibling guide the ball around and try to push the buttons himself. Battleships was a lot more popular with them, though to start with the blonde was convinced the other had been cheating when he went a few turns without a hit.

“My strategy is just amazing,” David had explained, smirking to himself. “You’ll feel like an idiot when you figure it out, _if_ you ever do.” Sadly for him Eli never caught onto the secret – he’d arranged his ships into an ‘E’ for him. He still felt a little guilty for pushing him out of bed. Replaying the events of the previous afternoon over and over in his head he figured that it was his own fault for overreacting, and Eli had obviously been upset by it, if his subsequent silence was any indication. It wasn’t only quietness, he just didn’t answer him when he spoke.

David had been so glad when he finally said something to him that morning; he’d gone to sleep worrying about how things would be if he continued to ignore him. It would be a very ridiculous thing to do considering their living arrangement, but he could imagine Eli being stubborn enough for it. He didn’t think he’d be able to stand how lonely it would make him. As trivial as it was in hindsight the incident reminded David just how much he didn’t want to lose his friendship.

The fun started to dry up after a few hours of swapping between boards to keep it interesting. They had had an act – well, David’s had been an act, but he didn’t know if he could say the same for Eli – of boasting about their skill at each game, and laughing at the other’s show of over-competitiveness. Slowly the joke began to peter out until they were sat playing Ludo automatically, barely saying a thing.

“Wow.” Eli yawned and straightened out from wilting on the flimsy kitchen chair. “I bet you never had such an _exhilarating_ time with your other friends before.”

“No, I didn’t,” he countered immediately, “I like it with you a thousand times more.” Eli nearly dropped his counter as he was stepping it along the board, putting on a very sceptical scowl and flicking the die toward him.

“…Sure you do.”

“I do!” David took his turn, looking at his sibling’s odd expression. _Does he really think I’m lying?_ The blonde wasn’t even watching the action on the board, he had his eyes trained on the faux grain of the table top. _He’s blushing_. “Why are you goin’ all red? Did I embarrass you?” he teased.

“No! The only thing embarrassing me is how terrible you are at this game!” The die was swiped back up and rolled with unnecessary force.

“I am telling the truth. I’d rather be with you. They didn’t like me much back there, anyway.”

“I find that one even harder to believe.” Eli’s frown had swiftly turned into a little grin that he was trying to hide by lowering his head. He had unwittingly set himself up to compliment his twin, and now he was desperately trying to gather his courage to do so.

“How come?” Another counter was added to the centre and the brunette tutted.

“Why wouldn’t anyone like you?...Y-you’re per -”

“- _You_ didn’t like me to start with.”

“Yeah…that was…a mistake.” _Don’t change the subject._

“Hehe, sure.” David held his palm out for the die. After handing it over Eli clasped his hands, which were starting to sweat, together. Had he ever been so nervous just to speak?

“Uhh,” he started shakily, trying to add more strength to his voice. The brunette was too busy arranging his pieces to notice his struggle. “I don’t see how anyone couldn’t like you.” _Say it!_ “You’re perfect.”

“Yeah, I know.” David smiled wide, proud of his quick answer. It was getting easier to act the cocky games champion. Eli didn’t think it was funny, but he forced out a weak laugh nonetheless. He definitely hadn’t expected – or wanted – David to react like that. _Wasted_. His compliment had been absolutely wasted.

“Ha…that sounds like something I would say.”

“Let’s hope I’m not taking any more leaves out of your book or I might start losing the game.”

“Very funny.” The board had his attention again, and he found that he was in fact losing. “Maybe then the score will be even,” he muttered to himself.

“I don’t think it’ll be even unless I French kiss you back.” Eli didn’t laugh at his terrible joke, but his skin did turn crimson. There it was again – the distinct feeling that David was trying to lead him toward something. Playing with him, saying those nice things to him, mentioning the kiss…he had to mean something by it all. It couldn’t be a coincidence. But if he meant what Eli thought he meant then it was beyond inappropriate. He _knew_ it was inappropriate, yet he still felt a vice grip on his chest when he glanced at the brunette from behind his hair. And he hated it. For him the past 24 hours was like living through one long panic attack that worsened whenever he saw him or heard him.

He lost after a few minutes of tense exchanges, leaving to go back upstairs without offering to help tidy up. David was left behind to think about his flushed face and his awful choice of words.

~

Solid went up after him a while later, having packed away their mess. Their bedroom door opened a crack and he poked his head through. Liquid was lying on his belly on his bed, twisting a Rubik’s cube. He noticed the toy, _his_ toy, and was about to sardonically ask his sibling where he’d found it - he knew it had been packed in his bag - before Liquid beat him to it.

“Can you come help me with this puzzle?” The blonde surprised himself with his sudden dose of bravery. He’d been picturing them both lying and solving it together, and instantly wanted to make the image reality; but he knew what he was trying to do was wrong - the reasoning behind it was wrong, at least. In that moment he felt the same compulsion that had driven him to get in bed with his brother the night before. He just…wanted to be close to him.

“Yep.” Solid stepped in and reached for the puzzle, which was snatched away from him before he could grab it.

“Lie here and do it,” he shuffled over on the narrow mattress, “there’s enough room.” There was some clear hesitation from Solid, which he found a little discouraging. His twin saw it in his expression and got onto the bed at once to placate him, remembering the cold shoulder he’d received after pushing him away the night before.

Now side by side on the bed and pressed together in order to fit, Liquid handed the cube over. Their fingers grazed as it was swapped over, but, unlike him, Solid looked unaffected by the contact. Not wanting seem like he was hogging it the brunette held the puzzle between them so Liquid could watch what he was doing.

“You’ve already got most of this side so I’ll finish it off.” The blonde rested his cheek on a hand, admiring his skill at shuffling the arrangement. “It gets harder when you have two sides, because you can’t move them much.”

“Mm-hm.”

“…There, that’s one. Do you wanna have a go?”

“I think I need to watch some more first.”

“Okay.” Solid’s uncertainty over their close position was forgotten as he focussed on his task. Every so often he would give his brother some advice that he wasn’t listening to; he was too busy admiring the concentration on his face. A small crease had appeared between his furrowing brows. _He’s really trying at this…Is he showing off for me?_

“You’re good at this.” He had to at least pretend he was following along.

“T-thanks. I guess I’ve just had a lot of practice.” _Back to being modest, then._ Liquid nudged him playfully through their touching shoulders.

“Come on, you can be proud of it. Turns out you’re really good at board games too, huh.”

“I wouldn’t go _that_ far.”

“So I just kept losing because I’m really bad?”

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know, I know. I’m just kidding.” The puzzle-solving hit a snag, so he rotated the cube to find a new starting point. There was no need for his brother to praise him like that…maybe he was looking for the favour to be returned. Now that Solid thought about it, he _was_ being especially nice to him today.

“That doesn’t matter, you’re better than me at more important things.”

“Like?”

“Swimming.”

“Is that all I’m good at?”

“…Sleeping?” They both snorted and Liquid nudged him again.

“Aw, I thought you were being serious.” Even so his insides fluttered, his already high heart rate thumping faster as he watched his twin wet his lips with his tongue absently. He felt so sick…he couldn’t take it any longer. “David…” the blonde whispered, gulping his nerves down.

“Yeah?”

“Can you tell me…am I a good kisser?” Solid’s preoccupation with the Rubik’s cube ended abruptly, his hands freezing. At once his body started burning, especially where it was touching his brother all along his side. His stunned silence dragged on a couple beats too long.

“…I-I don’t know.”

“Oh.” This is what his gut was telling him to do. _I want this_. “Then let me refresh your memory.” Liquid moved his face closer until they were touching, planting his lips where he’d been aching to place them. With the other’s head at a right angle to his own he only managed to catch the corner of his mouth, but Solid didn’t move a muscle this time. The contact was over as soon as it had started (though it felt like much longer to the two of them) and he pulled away again. It wasn’t enough. He needed more.

“Why did you do that?” his twin asked quietly, finally letting their eyes meet.

“I wanted to see if you liked it.” _You look so sad, David_. “Did you?” The brunette opened his mouth to speak and closed it again, lost for words. Liquid leaned in for another kiss, meeting the mark dead on and pressing in, trying to replicate the perfect technique he had somehow achieved when he’d done it accidentally days ago. Something snapped in his brother then, and he felt the moment he pressed back against him, reciprocating.

The door sounded like a gunshot below them, heralding the arrival of their father from his work. They yanked away from each other so suddenly that they both fell off the bed, hitting the floor hard.

“Boys, I’m home!” Venom called up to them. Solid was the first to his feet, brushing himself off. The other snake sat up, but he wouldn’t look at him. He left their bedroom swiftly before Liquid could say a thing.


	32. Speechless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Overuse of the word 'felt' ahead

One of his sons came down right away to greet him. Surprisingly this time it wasn’t Eli, sniffing around for dinner.

“Hey kid. You hungry?” Their appetites had been gradually returning to them, so he was eager to feed them up while he could. They still looked so ghostly.

“No. Thanks.”

“Is that one of your new things?” Venom nodded to the colourful puzzle he was holding.

“Eh? Oh, no…this is old.” David plopped himself in one corner of the settee and curled up. Judging by how spacey he was acting V guessed he had just woken up from a nap.

“Is Eli asleep?”

“Uh…n-no, I dunno what he’s doing.” He cleared his throat uncomfortably. He would much rather be alone, but he would just have to put up with the company. Sitting with his father was much more appealing than going back to his room – plus Venom’s presence acted as a deterrent to his twin. Or so he hoped.

David needed to think about what he’d done; what the two of them had done, together. Eli may have started it, but he certainly finished it with him. And he hadn’t exactly been tripping over himself to stop him in the first place.

More and more frequently over the past few days he had been battling with his own thoughts. They were obscene and intrusive, as though they actually speared their way into his head, wholly without permission. Sometimes when he looked at Eli he got the most obscure sensation – like a longing, or a hunger that tugged at his chest and his groin and made him disgusted at himself. Pinching himself made for a good enough distraction at first, but soon even that couldn’t help it.

 _Eli…_ He brought a hand to his mouth unconsciously. The first peck was so bold, chaste though it may have been, he could scarcely believe the blonde had done it. Instantly he’d known that the strange and sometimes strenuous friendship between them had been severed in a way that would never allow it to be fixed in the same way again, and he mourned for it. It wasn’t until Eli was eagerly melding them together that it occurred to him that maybe his twin was offering him something better than they’d had before. Now, when he remembered Eli’s touch from barely a few moments ago, and how shy but eager he had been to kiss him it made David feel oddly privileged.

_‘Can you tell me…am I a good kisser?’_

_‘I wanted to see if you liked it. Did you?’_

“Feel sick?” his father’s concern brought him out of his reverie. V thought he looked like he was going to vomit - pale and clammy with his hand clamped over his mouth. It would be just his luck to have the boy get it all over the carpet.

“I’m alright.” David lowered his palm to fake a smile. He wished again that V was somewhere else, he felt weirdly dirty even thinking about it in front of him.

Eventually the attention turned from him (but not before the plastic washbasin from the sink was placed at his feet in case he really _did_ feel ill) and he was free to bring the subject back up in his mind. David licked his lips deliberately, unsure if he could actually taste his brother there or if it was his imagination. Either way it made him shudder.

He was stricken with the feeling that he’d made a mistake by rushing out of their room so hastily. It had been his unthinking response to run from their little misdeed when their privacy was so suddenly ruptured – except it hadn’t been really, Venom wouldn’t have come upstairs to interrupt them. They could have carried on, staying quiet to make him think they were sleeping.

The brunette kicked himself. He shouldn’t have left and made it awkward to come back. No doubt Eli would have been hurt by it too, and he didn’t want him to misconstrue his departure as rejection. “I’m going back upstairs,” David announced, trying to be nonchalant. His father grunted his response, concentrating more on trying to fix a jammed gun. V yanked so hard on the slide with his prosthetic that the metal screeched and dented, ruining the component completely.

“ _Shit,”_ David heard him hiss to himself as he disappeared back up to his bedroom.

~

David tiptoed as slowly as he could across the landing, realising too late that he hadn’t thought about what to say when he went back in. If he was lucky his twin would start the ball rolling for him, but it was also just as likely that he would give him the silent treatment. Perhaps the latter wouldn’t be so bad, if they just didn’t talk and address it that evening he’d have all night to think of how to explain himself.

For the first time he knocked on their door, immediately feeling ridiculous. He didn’t wait for an answer in case he didn’t get one.

Eli was still lying on his bed with his back to him. After no one announced themselves the blonde looked over his shoulder at the doorway, expecting the intruder to be his father and being greeted instead by his brother. Said brother was struggling even more for words now that he was being watched than he was in the hallway. _So…he’s gonna make me speak first,_ the brunette caught on.

He waited and waited for something to pop into his head, anything to break the awful silence, until Eli got fed up and turned back around with a quiet sigh. _Great_. The window had been missed. _Well, maybe not. It might be easier if he’s facing away._

David closed the door as he wracked his brain again, his attempt at forcing himself to speak resulting in an almost inaudible ‘ummm’. It was no use. He wasn’t going to be able to articulate what he was feeling; he couldn’t even manage it coherently in his own mind.

If he couldn’t use words he might as well act on how he felt instead.

Striding forward, David sat heavily at his twin’s back. Eli twisted slightly in surprise, and he grabbed his face carefully to keep it still as he clumsily brought them together to continue the kiss that had been cut short not long before.

Judging by the small (and extremely cute, in the brunette’s opinion) squeak Eli made in his throat he was just as surprised as David was at himself. Arms fumbled to wrap around him, pulling him closer until David fell from holding up his weight to lie on him.

Eli truly felt like he was going to burst. His elation bubbled in his chest until he was giggling against his brother, who tried to break away to see what he found so funny. The blonde moved quick to cup the back of his neck and halt him.

“No, don’t stop!” he whined into him, and David was more than happy to obey.

Very swiftly the kiss started to dissolve the world around them, until David forgot about V downstairs, forgot entirely about where they were and how they shouldn’t be doing this, and let himself be wholly absorbed. Carefully he readjusted his position so that he wasn’t contorted by sitting on the edge of the bed, getting on his knees to straddle the blonde. Eli responded in kind by squirming his own legs up between them, folding them around David’s waist to join his arms.

The brunette could feel how hard Eli was against his stomach. _At least I’m not the only one_. Both of them had been holding back and inevitably building so much tension that they were desperate to release their pent-up sexual frustration. Eli dove into his mouth with his tongue, feeling David falter at first and humming when his brother caught up to attempt to mirror his actions. Both of them groaned softly, gripping onto each other tighter.

Their fleeting breaks for breath weren’t giving them enough oxygen and after a while they had to part, panting and dizzy. David rested his face on his brother’s shoulder, still unsure of what to say. _I guess it doesn’t matter that much…I think he got the message._ The blonde was still clinging onto him albeit slightly looser than before, having more difficulty catching his breath underneath his weight.

“Do you want me to get off you?”

“ _No_.” The tan bare skin of his neck was so close, David wanted nothing more than to dip forward and run his lips over it but he didn’t know if it would be too much. He nestled his face closer still and yearned for it. A hand that had been idle reached up to feel his twin’s fair hair on the pillow. Eli sighed after his panting had died down, sounding much more content than he had before.

“Can we do it again?”

~

The brothers kept making eye contact over the table at dinner and smirking at each other. Venom inquired about their new box of distractions, satisfied with the positive feedback they gave and oblivious to the fact that they were now entirely distracted by one another.

After being trapped in the kitchen on dish duty, David scurried up to be with his sibling only to find that he had already got in the bath. There was no point in calling through the door to see if he was in there, he could hear the water running.

Eli had been practicing a new ritual he’d developed in the tub, where he would get washing himself out of the way as fast as he could to give him more time to masturbate there. With all the cleaning out of the way he didn’t need to worry about scrubbing himself with watered-down semen either.

This time though he was hit by some inspiration when he started running the water through the single faucet. His new plan would require him to save the actual cleaning until last, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make. With the water level in the basin barely at a puddle he got in, ignoring the icy metal sides of the bath on his hot skin. In his haste he forgot that he still had one of his socks on until he’d stepped inside.

The lingering sock removed, Eli started touching himself with one hand while adjusting the water temperature with the other. _This better feel good._ Once he was sure it wasn’t going to burn him – he usually liked it scalding hot – he scooted forward on his knees until he was close enough to let the stream fall onto his cock.

The position wasn’t the most comfortable. He was too tall on his knees to get it under the faucet, but if he sat down he’d be too far away to reach it. Eli grumbled in annoyance, re-evaluating his approach.

 _…What about on my back?_ Lying down he wiggled himself toward the faucet again, having to plant his feet on the wall. Eli held his cock up into the flow so that it ran over the tip, gasping and curling his toes at the warm pleasure it gave him.

“Fuck…” Goosebumps rippled along his body. _God, this was such a great idea!_ The hand that was propping his shaft up began pumping it tentatively. Closing his unfocussed eyes, Eli let his mind wander back to making out with his twin. Nearly the whole time he’d been pressing his clothed erection into him, and David didn’t even care. The joy he’d felt then surfaced in him again, and he couldn’t help but beam to himself.

His throbbing reached its peak much sooner than he’d hoped. Eli climaxed with a grunt, his noises drowned out by the splashing water. It suddenly became too intense after, and he moved back from the faucet to save himself from discomfort. All around him the depth had risen and he hadn’t noticed. “Fuck.” Now he had to wash his hair in dirtied water, but he couldn’t care less.


	33. Gunpoint

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The writing on this one is messy, sorry

Solid’s face was cold when he woke up. The wall heater in their room had been turned off completely the night before since they were getting so hot together. He glanced over at the other bed, his twin buried completely by his duvet except for a single foot that was poking out from under the side of it.

The brunette got up as quietly as he could to turn the unit back on. His wheat teddy, which had been resting in the crook of his arm, slipped out of place and would have thudded heavily on the floor if he hadn’t caught it. _Good reflexes_.

With the unit humming lowly again he got himself back into bed while it was still warm under the covers. The bear was fished out for an inspection. He’d had it almost as long as he could remember, and it was still with him. There wasn’t an overwhelming sentimental value attached to it, but it had just enough to keep him from getting rid of it. It would be fair, after it’d followed him all this way.

Solid handled it gently, turning it over in his hands and running his fingers over the old re-stitching done by countless foster mothers over the years. He would never need another one now. He’d found his real family. All the lonely tears he’d cried into his bear, thinking he’d never live to see the day when they would be reunited.

The reminiscing gave him a lump in his throat, and the teddy was tucked back under the duvet. He wanted Liquid to get up and make him feel better. Surely he wouldn’t be _that_ annoyed if he woke him.

“Eli? _Eli?”_ Something stirred in the other bed, and the stray foot disappeared. A face wormed above the covers, still half asleep.

“Hmm?” Liquid rubbed an eye drowsily. “It’s bloody freezing in here.” His brother’s appearance made the brunette smile immediately.

“Hi.” Solid searched for something to add so that he wasn’t just staring at him like a bashful idiot. “Did you sleep ok?”

“Yes.” The blonde sat up to stretch, his quilt falling away to reveal his bare torso.

“What happened to your pyjamas?” Not that he was complaining, he was actually a fan of the view. He could look without fear of being spotted.

“I was too hot.” As soon as he was done he cocooned himself again, much to Solid’s disappointment. “I’m certainly not now.” _Get in bed with me, then. I’d love it if you did._ Solid paused to convince himself to bring it up; he didn’t want to be _too_ forward.

“If you want…you can always come in with me.” Liquid was on his feet at once, all but diving under the covers. _So he’s got something on after all._ The brunette had thought he’d stripped all of his pjs off, but his bottoms were still there. His heart jumped imagining the blonde get into bed with him naked.

They shuffled around to get comfy together and enveloped one another in their arms. It was so familiar to lie with him like this, as if they’d been doing it their whole lives. “Eli…do you reckon, maybe…” Solid had to stop, feeling very self-conscious under the intent green eyes. Obviously they both knew exactly what he was going to ask, but it still made him sheepish. Was he even allowed to ask for it? “Do you think we can kiss again?”

“ _Absolutely_.” As soon as they brought their faces together Liquid jerked his head back again. “Ah, your face is frozen!”

“Is it that bad?” he moved to try again and his brother wriggled away, laughing. “C’mon, I need you to warm me up!” In the end he had to hold him from falling backwards off the small mattress. “Please?”

“Oh, alright then.” Liquid nuzzled in and braved the cold for a kiss.

If Solid had known the morning before that he would be running his hands over his twin and smooching he still wouldn’t have believed it. Feeling the exposed skin under his fingers sent thrills through him. It wouldn’t take much stripping for them both to be naked, squeezing each other in bed. So many things he wanted to do with him but he assumed he should hold back for his brother’s sake, despite the fact that Liquid had instigated the whole thing. _Rushing will only make problems_ kept repeating itself in his mind.

Going one little step further this time couldn’t hurt though. Timidly the young snake took his hand away from Liquid’s back to smooth along his front instead. The fingertips traced up his toned stomach and over his ribs, exploring. His light touch tickled the blonde’s side, an arm snapping back to protect it from the onslaught. “Don’t!” he was warned jokingly. Solid tried again, keeping away from the restricted area.

Eventually he reached his chest, running his hand over a nipple that was already hard and tingling in anticipation of being touched. Liquid’s subsequent mewl was so loud that the brunette thought he was asking him to stop at first. It soon became clear when his palm was guided back to the chest that he wanted more.

Encouraged by the petting, Eli trailed his hands down his brother’s back with the intention of feeling his butt, and was greeted with something that definitely wasn’t what he was looking for. He extracted it from under the quilt and held it up between them. “Look who it is.” It was the teddy bear, jostled around and forgotten by their activity in the bed. David took the offered teddy and reached over his twin to sit it on the low end table set between their beds. “How come I never saw it before we came here?”

“Because I didn’t have a reason to unpack it. Plus you probably would’ve done something horrible to it.”

“That’s true.”

“You’re not supposed to admit it!” David stayed hovering over him, settling his upper body above his sibling. Eli liked it when he got on top of him. Something changed in the brunette’s expression when he glanced back at the bear and Eli frowned along with him. “…Can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Do you know who our mother is?”

“We don’t have one.”

“…Oh…so she’s dead?” He whispered the last part and regretted it; David didn’t want to upset him, although the blonde didn’t look like he cared at all.

“No she doesn’t exist. We just don’t have one. Technically.”

“That’s not – you _do_ know how it works, right? You need a man _and_ a woman to have babies.”

“Yeah, I know how it works!” Eli huffed. “I’m not making it up, it’s just a long story.”

“Can you tell it to me?”

“Now? Can’t we just do this instead?” A pair of arms wound their way around his neck sneakily.

“Okay!” David chirped, dipping his head to continue mouthing at him zealously. When he stopped to speak again a second later Eli pouted. “Tell me later, alright? I have a lot I wanna ask.”

“Oh, great.”

~

As neither of them had bothered to look out a window they hadn’t noticed that it had started snowing again all of the previous day. It was still falling in thick clumped flakes when they emerged from the house with the tray, ready to play again.

They marched toward the bunkers, buried much deeper than before.

“Are we still gonna be able to do this?”

“Sure we are. Look.” Eli volunteered to go first, taking the tray and clambering up. Each time he put a hand down to steady himself it fell into snow elbow deep. Under the powder the concrete was icy from the rainfall and it was proving increasingly more difficult to get up the steep slope. Eli lost his footing and slipped back down, not even wasting a second before trying again with stubborn determination.

After a lot of skidding he made it to the top, setting himself down on the tray. With the added glide of the ice he shot down, taking masses of snow with him. He landed with a muffled thud and squealed, shooting back to his feet again.

“What happened?!”

“AHH _it’s all up my back!”_ Eli had collected the sleet inside his coat, giving his warm body a shock. David snorted at him holding his arms out in distress.

“I thought you’d hurt yourself.” The rest of the frost was brushed out by the brunette. “Maybe we’ll give this one a pass today.”

They got to work on a new project after calling the sledding off. Setting up between a pair of bunkers they began building a circular wall using the snow gathered from the slopes – their very own igloo amongst the concrete. There was no real aim to it other than to keep them busy. Together they took turns at each of the jobs: one would pack rudimentary bricks and the other would seal them in place.

In no time at all the wall was high enough for them to crouch behind. The twins sat inside the tiny fort for a break, huddled up against the falling snow. It was much colder than the last time they had gone out, and their inactivity gave them a chance to notice it properly. “You’re shivering,” David noted.

“No, I’m just…getting used to it.”

“‘Getting used to it’?”

“Sure. This is nothing really, I could walk around topless in this.”

“Yeah right!” The wind picked up outside their wall and flooded in over it, making them nestle closer.  “So, are you gonna tell me this story or what?”

“Oh yeah! Ok, so,” Eli sat a little straighter and cleared his throat in preparation, his brother grinning at his enthusiasm, “let’s start at the beginning. Our father can’t actually have children -”

“- Why not? I mean, how does someone find that out?”

“Oh I don’t know, maybe a doctor told him or something. You get really good physicals before a big mission.”

“How is that relevant _at all_ to a mission?”

“I don’t _know_ , the point is he definitely can’t have children!”

“So how are we…?”

“I’m getting to that. The organisation, whatever you want to call it, that he was working for years ago was bummed out that he would never pass his natural talents on, so they decided to do it for him by _cloning him_.” David snorted.

“Uh-huh.”

“That’s us. George too. We were made to carry on in his place.”

“Right. And how do you know all this?”

“I’ve always known – in fact no one would fucking shut up about it.” _How is he saying this with a straight face?_ If he had to guess the brunette would've said that he was making up a fantastical story to amuse him, but it was looking more likely that someone told him this when he was younger to keep him quiet and never said it was a lie _. Oh my God…he actually believes this._

“How exactly did they manage to clone an entire person again?”

“Well, I don’t know the specifics. They used his DNA and…built us out of it I guess. They gave _you_ everything that’s good about him, everything that makes him a good soldier; and gave me all the leftovers.” David snorted again, holding back his laughter. His brother sounded so sincere and sad, he felt guilty for finding it funny.

“Eli…that’s not how science works…”

“What?”

“There’s no such thing as good and bad DNA.”

“I just worded it wrong – I meant they gave you all his dominant genes and me all the recessive ones.”

“Have you ever been to school?”

“Why, are you calling me stupid?!” Eli leaned away from his twin, scowling. "I'm telling you exactly what happened!"

“No no no! I just think you’ve been…umm. Misinformed.”

“That’s just another way of saying I’m an idiot!” He folded his arms and turned away grumpily. There was no point in falling out over it, he realised, but he was still insulted. “Look, if you don’t believe me then ask Venom when he gets home. He’ll say the same thing.”

“Ok.” David wished he could go back in time and change what he’d said; the last thing he’d wanted to do was hurt his brother’s feelings. The wind blew down into their hide again, piercing through their winter clothing. _Eli must be freezing, he’s still wet from sliding down the pyramid_. “Should we go inside for a bit?”

“No. We just need to get back to work.” With that the blonde crawled out of the opening to carry on patting snow against the structure.

“Wait, one more thing.”

“What?” Eli stuck his head back in and David darted forward to plant a peck on his lips, catching him unawares. The surprise made him shrug his coat collar up, blushing past his chilled cheeks.

“I don’t think you’re stupid. I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok.” He smiled from ear to ear, trying to hide it behind his collar. David got up to help with the igloo.

“ **HEY!** ” The companionable quiet was shattered by a yell that made the both of them jump, whipping around to face their aggressor. A man in FOXHOUND uniform appeared from around the corner, raising his assault rifle at the twins. “How did you kids get in here?!” The brunette seized up when he saw the weapon trained on him. “This is private property!”

“We live here!” Eli called back angrily.

“This isn’t a playground; you’re trespassing. Come with me, I’m gonna escort you out.”

“We LIVE here!”

“ _Come. Here,_ ” the man repeated tensely, taking a step forward. Eli eyed the gun, but the man was still too far away to disarm. If he tried he would get shot down before he could reach.

“Are you deaf?”

“ _Eli,_ ” David hissed warily.

“Are you?” he countered. The rifle was lowered and he sprayed a volley of bullets into the twin's igloo, packed snow bursting into dust under the fire. As soon as it stopped the muzzle was aimed back at the brothers, who were scuttling back in a panic. “This is your final warning.”

“Are you fucking insane?!” Eli barked.

“I-I think we should do what he says.” His twin had grabbed onto his arm in the commotion, holding on to it tight. It wasn’t hard to tell that he was scared. “Please, Eli.”

“We live in that house over there,” the blonde tried again, “we’re not trespassing. Our fath-”

“- Don’t make me start counting, kid.” Defeated, they started ambling out from between the bunkers at gunpoint, giving the FOXHOUND soldier a wide berth. “That’s it. Get in the car.” There was a pick-up truck loaded with boxes from the ammunition shelters waiting, fitted out with new snow chains. It had the same emblem on the side that David had seen what felt like an age ago in the shed of Snake’s house. The same badge was sewn onto the sleeve of the man’s uniform, he noticed. _A fox._

Once at the front of the vehicle he gave them a cursory search. “Turn out your pockets.” Eli scoffed, but he did as he was told. “Alright. Get in.”

They were ushered into the passenger seats like hostages. A moment after the soldier got in and stowed the gun at his left, away from them. He pushed a button on the dash that locked the doors, seeming more relaxed now that they had been detained. “How did you even get in here? Your parents will have to pay for any cut fence. You’re both in a lot of serious trouble, you know that?”

“ _You’re_ going to be in trouble when our father hears about this.” Eli had sat himself in the middle, protective of his sibling. He’d decided to play along so he could prove him wrong and see Venom beat the guy up for shooting at them, warning or no.

“Whatever, kid. Do your seatbelts up.”

The twins ended up getting an impromptu look around some of the compound. As they got further in it became busier, with more clusters of buildings and people appearing. They passed by a daunting assault course that piqued the twin’s interest, the snow along the course stamped to slushy mud. More than once they had to slow down to overtake some trainees running in full gear along the road.

From the glove compartment the soldier produced a radio. “I’ve come across some kids at the ammo igloos. They’ve sneaked in from outside. I’ve got them in my car now, I’m taking them to the police in town, over.”

“Copy that. Make sure you finish the stock take by 1800, over.” A static reply came through a second later.

“You’re taking us to the police?”

“They’ll call your parents to come get you, they’re not arresting you. You’ll probably have to pay a heavy fine though.” Eli looked sidelong at his brother in alarm. If they were breezing right through FOXHOUND they’d have no way to get a message to Venom. He pictured them spending the night in custody as the local police scratched their heads, trying to find out who they were – V would come home, see that they were missing, have to figure out what happened and then drive into town to collect them.

“We don’t live in town, we live _here!_ Taking us there won’t -”

“- Shut it boy, I don’t wanna hear it.”

“Fine,” he mumbled through gritted teeth. _Your punishment is only going to get worse, dickhead_. David squeezed his arm in an effort to be reassuring, though he was sure that he was more comforted by Eli’s presence than the blonde was by his.

The radio volume had been turned down but they all heard the soldier being addressed through it.

“Vulture, respond,” it crackled, immediately getting snatched up again.

“What’s up?” _They’re not using the right etiquette. He must know whoever’s talking to him._

“I hear you have two children with you?”

“Teenagers. I’m driving them out now.”

“Is one of them blonde with a bad attitude?”

“What the... _fuck,_ ” the driver muttered to himself, catching the extremely smug and satisfied look that the fair brother directed at him. “How did you guess?”

“Bring ‘em here would ya?”

“Be there in a minute, over.”

“I told you,” Eli reminded him in a singsong voice. He was ignored. The truck gave a U-turn and carried on back up the road.

They continued along until they passed the assault course again, veering off the tarmac road and up a gravel one, revealed under the white blanket by previous tire tracks. On their left a group of people were standing in the field behind the course, stamping their feet against the chill.

“Right. Stay here.” The vehicle stopped abruptly halfway down the road and ‘Vulture’ got out, slinging his rifle into the truck bed. There was no need for it now. Someone broke away from the group, heading toward them across the field.

“They knew who you were – over the walkie talkie,” David whispered unnecessarily; the closed doors muted the sounds coming in and out of the truck cabin.

“V must have heard and sent someone to get us, thank God.” Their saviour drew closer, crunching over the snow, and Vulture spoke up:

“You know these kids?”

“Might do,” came the reply. It was hard to get a clear view of them inside the vehicle.

“They yours?”

“HA! God no. Let’s take a look.” He stepped around the soldier and tapped on the window with the handle of his cane. Two identical faces turned to look at him. One stayed blank, but the other lit up in recognition.


	34. Limbs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this one's kinda bleh again

 “Kaz!” someone cheered from behind the door. The voice had dropped, but it was still recognisable to him.

“That’s them, alright. Let ‘em out, I’ll take it from here.”

“Yessir.” The twins didn’t need any direction though; David was already being urged out of the truck. Vulture got in as they exited to take his leave. The blonde clone rounded the bonnet and skidded on the gravel just short of bowling into Miller, grinning brightly. He wasn’t sure if he should hug him or not, deciding against it because of the eyes watching them from across the field.

“Eli,” Kaz greeted him warmly, giving an equally heartfelt smile. It had been years since they’d last seen one another and he was still struck by how much he’d grown. In his mind’s eye he was still a little boy. “I see you’ve calmed down a lot since I saw you last,” he quipped, raising a hand in farewell as the truck backed up to the road.

“What are you doing here?”

“Boss never thought to mention that I work here, then.” David inched toward their conversation shyly, sticking behind his sibling. “You must be the brother I’ve heard so much about.”

“Hi…” _V said he was a quiet one,_ Kaz recalled.

“This is David.” Eli stepped to the side to present his twin, feeling oddly proud of him. Miller extended a hand to shake, noticing David hesitate at the prosthesis.

“I’m afraid you’ll both have to wait a while before you can go home, I’m in the middle of instructing a session right now.”

“You teach? Do you get to punch people with your new arm?” Eli snatched the metal limb up in both hands, manipulating the digits curiously. The brunette was dismayed by the sudden ignorant gesture, feeling relieved on Eli’s behalf when he realised that Miller looked perfectly comfortable with it. _They must know each other pretty well._

“Sometimes.” He pointed behind himself, back toward the group, to a bench set against a block of changing rooms. “Sit over there so I can keep an eye on you, ok? Be good for me.”

“Ok.” They trudged over to their bench obediently, sitting together to keep as warm as they could. It had been heated inside the truck, so they had to adjust to the bite of the cold all over again. The trainees that Miller was coaching regarded them with intrigue, standing to attention again when their Master made it back to them.

“How do you know him?” David questioned.

“He used to live on Mother Base, as second in command.”

“Oh, right.” From their spot they strained make out what was being said in Kaz’s lesson. Something interesting no doubt, the cadets were fixated. Every so often they managed to pick out a few words, but not enough to give it context. Just as the brunette was about to ask his twin what he thought was being said Kaz reached into his jacket and pulled out a knife, unsheathing it and holding it up for the group to see. "Ooh,” the snakes murmured in unison.

“Do you think he’s going to stab somebody?”

“I dunno.” David had no idea what kind of man he was. “Will he?”

“I was joking,” Eli snickered, nudging him lightly with his elbow. The knife was used to point at a trainee who started and spoke up, presumably to answer a question. “Did you see the look on his face then? He probably thought he was getting stabbed, too.”

“Hehe.”

~

It was strange to watch Miller give his demonstration; Eli wasn’t used to seeing him in combat. He’d changed a lot. Of course there was the new arm, his limp had become subtle and balanced enough to let him walk on a cane, he was dressing much more casually with his FOXHOUND tracksuit (though that was possibly more to do with the change in role and practicality than anything) - in fact everything about him seemed more casual, even down to his body language. It was nice change to see, a far cry from how he had been as Commander Miller…outwardly, at least.

Half an hour of watching the cadets rather impressively disarm each other with fake blades later and the brothers were nodding off, snuggled together under the shelter of the overhanging roof above them. David fought against his heavy lids, shaking himself back to the present whenever he closed his eyes for too long. Beside him Eli was doing the same, slumped against the wall at their back.

The end of the session perked them up. After being dismissed the trainees filed into the changing room doors either side of the twins, males in one and females in the other. All of them had blue lips, joints stiff from the freezing conditions, long tracksuits wet from being thrown on the snow, but none of them were sullen. Kaz followed up behind them, holding his cane under one arm as he lit himself a cigarette.

“Are we going back now?” Eli queried. He’d had enough of waiting in the cold, as exciting as their little excursion had been.

“Yeah, c’mon. Let’s get you home.” Kaz ushered them to the back of the changing block where his own vehicle was waiting. They marched on just ahead as he continued to observe the two of them together. What good fortune that they got along, he knew how difficult Eli could be with others. It would be a disaster if they didn’t, stuck together in their house.

Miller unlocked the doors for them and hoisted himself into the driver’s seat, wincing as his prosthetic pinched at the raw scar tissue off his leg. Standing for too long in this weather made him cramp all along his thigh and severed calf, to make matters worse. As he was adjusting the rear-view mirror he caught a glimpse of Eli glowering at where he was gripping his leg in pain, turning to give the twins his most disarming smile. “Alright, we ready?”

“Yep,” David piped up, copying the chipper tone. His brother wasn’t so easily fooled. The wheels skidded into motion on the ice in spite of the chains. Miller was confident that it wouldn’t happen again but he slowed down slightly anyway, mindful of his precious cargo.

“So. You boys like it here so far?”

“Yeah-“

“-No,” the twins spoke over each other. David and Kaz both looked at Eli for some justification. “It’s just…there’s not a lot to do here. But I like it more than the alternative.”

“I don’t blame you,” Kaz murmured to himself, pleased that Eli showed the same distain to his father that he did. Coming towards them down the road the exhausted running cadets were still going, waving as they passed by when they recognised the car.

“Is everyone here training to be mercs?” Eli watched them go, choosing not to wave back like his brother was. That would be him one day, although he was certain he’d be ahead of them all. _Unless David is there._ If he didn’t work hard his brother’s natural talent would surely overtake him. Looking at him now, greeting the group of strangers while wearing his near permanent sweet face, it was hard to envisage being outdone by him.

“No, these are all U.S. military.”

“What? I thought this place belonged to Dad.” Somehow he’d imagined it to be an incubator for future Outer Heaven soldiers.

“He’s the commander alright. It’s not standard military – these lot are here to be elite. Part of the FOXHOUND unit.”

“FOXHOUND unit,” he parroted. “You teach them CQC?”

“Only the basics, like you saw today. Some of it they’re already familiar with. V beats the more advanced stuff into them once they progress.” David was only half listening to them talking, focussed instead on the view out the window. Their voices blended into the background noise of the engine, and before he knew it they were already back at the ammunition bunkers. “Here we are kids, home sweet home.”

“Thank you,” the brunette offered, followed clumsily by his twin as usual.

“Thanks. Are we going to see you again soon?” Eli paused as he was shutting his door.

“Of course,” Miller told him, fully aware that he would likely have to break that promise. There wasn’t a lot of spare time in his life that he didn’t already dedicate to his work or solitude…but he could at least make an effort to spend an evening with the family. For V and his sons. He waited until they had gone into the house before he drove away.

~

Venom half expected the twins to be missing again when he got home, relieved when he found them sat at the table in the living room playing Battleships. While David was distracted by his return Eli used the opportunity to try and sneak a peek at his pieces. The attempt failed and the board was protected from view by David’s hands, who accused him of being a cheater.

“I see it’s impossible for you boys to stay out of trouble.”

“It wasn’t our fault this time,” Eli came to his own defence. “We weren’t doing anything wrong, and that guy _shot_ at us!”

“He wouldn’t have shot you.”

“He nearly did!” David leaned to the side to get a look at Eli’s board while he was talking. If his brother was going to play dirty he would repay in him kind. “Aren’t you going to do something about it?”

“I could reward him for doing his job,” V suggested, much to the blonde’s displeasure.

“Forget it. A5.”

“Miss. G8.”

“Ugh, hit. Erm…A9.”

“Miss.” He sighed and sat back, studying the counters on the opposition’s map to find a good target. There was no way to determine a pattern so early in the game, and he’d only managed to see one corner of a ship. “C…” David watched Eli’s face to see some reaction. Behind his sibling Venom was watching him purposefully, waving his hand slightly to get his attention. _He’s holding his fingers up. Is he helping me?_ “3?”

“Damn! Are you cheating?”

“It was just a lucky guess.”

~

By nightfall the brothers didn’t even have the energy for their newfound favourite activity. The kisses eventually petered out until they were just lying together quietly in David’s bed. Eli felt his twin’s breath slow down until it was a peaceful rhythm against his skin. He admired his sibling’s face, unable to resist the urge to touch it and accidentally waking him up in the process.

“I think I‘m gonna go to bed,” David stated the obvious in a whisper as he stirred.

“Ok, sorry.” The blonde scooted out to get up, not wanting to disturb him further. A hand darted out to grab his wrist, stopping him.

“Where are you going? I didn’t mean you had to leave.”

“Oh – you don’t mind sharing to sleep?”

“Not with you I don’t.” Eli rolled his eyes at the sickly sweet comment, but it still made his cheeks hot.

“I’m gonna get some water.”

He navigated his way to the stairs in near dark, with the light coming from the living room to guide him. Venom was winding down for the night too, having taken his eyepatch and prosthetic off to clean the socket of the latter. His father gave him a tired smile.

“Ok baby?”

“I’m getting a drink.” It wasn’t the first time he’d seen V without his signature gear on. He’d only ever seen Snake without his eyepatch on once before, however. The injury itself wasn’t as gruesome as one would expect from a gunshot wound. There was some scarring, barely noticeable unless you got up close, and unlike V his eyelid had been stitched together long ago. Snake had let him gawk for as long as he wanted, pretending he didn’t notice him staring.

As he was running the tap the image of Miller’s white-knuckle grip on his leg came back to him. “Hey Daddy…does your arm hurt?”

“No, I’m just cleaning it.”

“I know; I meant, like, in general.”

“Why do you ask?”

“Today it looked like Kaz’s leg was really hurting him. Is it still painful? Even after a few years?” Venom took his time in replying.

“You don’t have to worry about us.” _I do anyway._ Eli knew he shouldn’t keep pressing when he was obviously dodging his questions.

“Ok. One more thing – Kaz said that you train people here?”

“Yeah,” V sighed, already knowing what he was getting at.

“When are you going to start training me?”

“Let’s give it a few more years, yet.”

“ _Years?_ But that’s such a big waste of time! Think of all the things I could learn between now and then!”

“There’s plenty of time for you, Eli.”

“No there isn’t, I’m gonna be old by the time you get round to doing it,” he moped.

“If you’re so desperate why don’t you ask John?” V heard the blonde pretending to vomit behind him and rolled his eyes. “Why not ask George, then. I’m sure he could show you a thing or two.”

“He wouldn’t take it seriously Daddy.”

“Those are your options.” Eli groaned, but he had hope that he would change his mind with some persistence.

Back in his room David had fallen asleep waiting for him. As much as he wanted to get in with him he thought it would be better to get in his own bed and let him rest, for tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if the story is going on a bit long but I also don't know a good way to end it, I'm trying to keep it somewhat interesting so don't be afraid let me know either way <3


	35. Calico

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for 100 kudos! I really appreciate the support <3  
> Sorry this one took so long to get out again.

Snake didn’t see much point in continuing to come back to the house now that the twins were gone, except for the change in scenery.

As he stepped in the telephone was ringing in the kitchen, with George moments away from picking it up. He acknowledged his father with a nod before answering.

“Hello? Eli.” George placed a hand over the mouthpiece to speak to the older mercenary. “Do you want -” Snake walked past him to the stairs without as much as a glance at the phone. He had nothing to say, and he was certain Eli wouldn’t have anything either.

He head straight to his bedroom for some much needed rest, hesitating at the door with a hand on the handle. Snake cast his eye to the other door behind him as the gears in his brain turned. The landline was still set up in his study. V updated him regularly on how the twins were getting on in Alaska…but now he had the opportunity to hear it from Eli himself. The blonde would be honest with his older brother if there was something wrong.

Backtracking into the study, Snake sat at the escritoire and pulled the telephone forward. Carefully he lifted the handset, going slow so as not to rattle it on the switch hook and alert them to his eavesdropping. The transceiver was held away so they couldn’t hear his breath.

“…not allowed to look around here.”

“Is the house nice?”

“It’s not _terrible_ \- but it is super small. I have to share a room with David.”

“Poor David. Is he being punished?” Snake smirked at that. “How are you both feeling? You were um. Really sick. Do you remember?”

“Of course I remember, it was two weeks ago! And yeah, I feel better now.”

“Good, that’s good. Yaknow it’s really quiet here without you. It’s taken all this time to air your stink out.”

“Haha, very funny.” George laughed along hollowly, clearing his throat as he prepared to tell his news. Snake noticed the change in his tone immediately.

“Actually, I have to go back in a few days.”

“Go back? Like back to Liberia? But…you’ve only just come home.”

“It’s been over a month.” There was a pause for Eli to respond; George having to continue when he didn’t speak up. “Is there any chance of you coming over to say goodbye?”

“Oh. Um. I don’t really…”

“I understand if you don’t want to.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t want to.” He sounded like he was straining to talk.

“Right. Make sure you write to me this time, ok? I’m gonna miss you, little brother.”

“Yeah.” His voice trembled down the phone.

“Oh Eli, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I have to go now.” The line went dead and Snake moved lightning fast to press his finger on the hook at the same time. Downstairs George was stood listening to the dial tone, not at all surprised that he’d hung up on him. Liquid had never been one for their goodbyes.

~

David was on his bed catching up on his comics while his brother was on the phone in the living room. He was quickly running out of issues; only a few of them had gone to Alaska with him and the rest had been read cover to cover already. After he was done he’d have to find a comic shop back home to get more.

Was their place in California even classed as home to him anymore? He’d spent just as much time at FOXHOUND now as he had there, without all the moving around. David didn’t know if he could say the same for Eli, but he felt more at home here. There was more of a semblance of family life. It functioned like an actual household too: the twins had cleaning chores and Venom made the food– apart from the once when Kaz had come over to cook for them.

Miller’s visit had been a lot of fun. He had expected to feel like the odd one out because everyone seemed to know each other well apart from him, but it hadn’t been that way at all. When he’d been brought to the centre of attention and asked to speak about himself he couldn’t think of anything to say, so Eli had stepped in to praise him on his behalf. David had appreciated the sentiment, though Eli had had his mouth full with food the whole time. Aside from that he’d noticed that Eli’s (and his father’s) table manners improved considerably during the meal.

As if on cue he heard his brother’s feet on the stairs. _That was a quick call._ When the fair haired twin had said he wanted to catch up with their older sibling he’d expected them to be talking for ages. If he remembered rightly George had told him that they were close. _Wait…Had he said that? Yeah, that sounds right…_

“That was quick,” he repeated aloud as the blonde entered, flicking the page in his thin book. “Everything alright?”

“Yes,” Eli shot back a little forcefully, stopping to try again. “Yes, everything’s fine.” A strand of wet hair fell across his forehead and he tucked it away behind an ear. He’d splashed water over his face in the kitchen so David couldn’t see that he’d been crying, though his drying off had obviously not been thorough enough.

A compulsion to be near his brother had brought him back to their room. Usually when he was feeling down he preferred to be alone…but there was something comforting about being around David that he craved. Eli made a beeline for his bed and sat himself on the floor alongside it, pretending to be interested in his comic so he could rest his head on the mattress next to his sibling.

“Do you like Batman?” Before Eli had the chance to answer he was interrupted. “No I guess not, you said you hated reading.”

“I’m just looking at the artwork.”

“You like drawing?” David felt like he knew Eli was a good artist, but couldn’t remember seeing any evidence of it.

“Mmh-hm.”

“Can I see?”

“N-no, there’s nothing to draw with here.”

“What about the notepad and pen by the phone?”

“…I’m not very good with pen.”

“Alright.” He could take a hint. It would have been interesting to see just how adept he was, but he wasn’t playing along. “Have you packed a bag yet?”

“Mostly.”

“He’s gonna be here soon.”

“Relax, I still have time.” V’s integration into FOXHOUND wasn’t wholly complete; he was needed unexpectedly at Mother Base, forcing him to leave the twins on their own, so he’d asked Miller to have them while he was gone. His friend had wanted to refuse – his house (nor himself for that matter) was in no state to have them over – and he’d tried to talk his way out of it by mentioning how counterintuitive the idea was. They would still have no one to watch them during the day, and they wouldn’t have the protection of the compound around them.

But ultimately, now that the snakelings were back in his life and not just a concept that Venom mentioned now and again, he couldn’t say no to the request. Plus if Eli heard that he’d turned them away he’d undoubtedly be hurt by it.

So he’d spent his day off cleaning his place for them.

David left the blonde to his own time management, having already packed for himself. They hadn’t brought much to Alaska with them in the first place, having been under the impression that their stay would only last a week or so. All of his new clothes were going with him to Miller’s; he liked them much better than his other ones. It made him feel a lot more fashionable.

As he was reading the brunette would occasionally glance down at his twin, who he could see watching him in his peripheries. At first Eli would try and look away quickly, but he knew he wasn’t fooling him and gave up trying to hide it.

“What is it?” David finally spoke up after locking eyes with him a few times. Upon closer inspection he noticed that Eli’s face was red and blotchy underneath them, as though he’d been rubbing at it. “You ok?”

“Am I not allowed to look at you?”

“Of course.” He decided not to press any further. If Eli wanted to tell him something he would have brought it up. Even so he still worried about him. Sheepishly David took a hand off of the comic and slunk it around Eli’s neck, taking it back up once he had him tucked under his arm. It was a bit of a squeeze on his throat, but the blonde wasn’t about to shrug him off. A deep flush crept across his cheeks, much to his brother’s delight.

“You’re blushing.”

“…No I’m not.” David shrugged his shoulders up to hide it. He heard his sibling’s sweet chuckle beside him and used to sound to guide their lips together, missing and catching his eye instead.

“Ow!”

“Oops, sorry.” Somewhere outside they heard a thump and pricked their ears. “Is that him already?”

“It better not be.”

“Knock knock!” Kaz announced himself as he came in. “Let’s get on the road, boys.”

“Shit!” Eli hissed, scrambling to start gathering his stuff up while waving a hand at the door insistently. “Stall him while I get ready! I’ll be like five seconds, tell him I’m peeing or something. Go on, go distract him!”

David slung his own backpack over a shoulder and went to greet Miller, leaving Eli to his own devices again. As David went down he found him propped against the doorframe, twirling his cane and giving him a smile.

“Eli not joining us?”

“He won’t be long, he’s gone to the bathroom.” The brunette tried to give his most convincing delivery. Not that he was terrible at it, but lying under pressure had never been his forte.

“He hasn’t packed yet has he?” Kaz smirked at his damning reaction. “Your silence speaks a thousand words, kid. I knew this was gonna happen anyway, don’t sweat it.” In one quick movement he grabbed the cane by the handle and pushed off of the frame to cross the room, pulling up one of the flimsy chairs while he waited. “I see you’re already ready. He could learn a thing or two about punctuality from you - but you didn’t hear that from me.”

“Heh, ok.” David settled down on the sofa, hanging over the back to face him. Kaz leaned forward as best as his extended leg would allow, pushing his aviators up for the first time in the short while that the snake had known him in order to get a better look.

“How old are you both now? 14?”

“15.”

“Ah. You look younger. It’s that smile.” Miller pointed his cane at it. “You seem too good for all this.”

“I’m ready!” Eli came jumping down the stairs before David could ask what he meant. “I’m ready, let’s go!”

“Have you got your toothbrush?”

“Yes, yes; I’ve got _everything_.”

“Let’s go before it gets dark.” Miller groaned onto his feet again, shooing them out to the car ahead of him. They moved with such ease across the snow, practically bounding over it, it made him envious to watch. However it made him glad at the same time, seeing the spring in their step.

Excluding the time it took them to drive out of FOXHOUND the journey to his place was around an hour long. After passing through the main gate the roads were empty. Eli couldn’t sit still; he fidgeted in his seat relentlessly, whether he was changing position, tapping his feet or fiddling with the knob on the window crank. Kaz let him do as he pleased, he knew Eli was excited for his little stay so he let him express it. The key was not to focus on him, then it was less irritating. David was either very patient or very good at blocking him out because he too did not react to his hyperactive sibling. In fact he was almost drifting off next to him.

At the bottom of his property Miller had a sturdy iron gate that he had to get out to open manually. Eli sat forward trying to get a look at his house, only seeing more dirt road ahead of them.

“Aren’t we there yet?” the younger blonde asked as he clambered back in a second time after closing the gate behind them, driving them onward once more.

“Nearly.”

“So this is all yours? Big place.”

“I didn’t leave Diamond Dogs with empty pockets, kid.” His house finally came into view at the crest of the incline. It was much larger than Eli had been expecting, and a lot more _normal_ too. The windows on the second floor were angled to align with the peaked roof, and the log walls gave it a very Alaskan manner. Even more impressive than the building was the scenery they spied behind it.

Miller’s property sat overlooking a valley of conifers and a distant cliff face of mottled pale granite, all covered white with snow and glowing yellow in the setting sun. David got out and walked around the house, ignoring it completely, to get a better look. His brother followed hot on his heels and Kaz stayed by the car waiting for them – all he wanted to do was take his damn leg off.

“Wow…” the brunette breathed. “This place is _beautiful!”_

“Yeah.” Eli felt like this was a perfect time to hold his hand or something equally nice, but he couldn’t with Miller watching.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before…not in real life.” There was such awe in his voice, and Eli couldn’t place the emotion in his strange expression. “I want to live here.”

“You mean move in with Kaz?”

“No, I mean around a view like this.”

“Oh. I suppose that’s cool too.” Eli peeked over his shoulder quickly to see how far away Kaz was standing, lowering his voice even though it wasn’t likely he would hear him. “Do you reckon I could live there too?”

“Hmm…maybe I could fit you in the shed.”

“The shed?!”

“C’mon boys, you’ll catch a cold out here. You can see all this from inside.” Miller went on ahead, the twins catching up to him obediently.

They were told to take their boots off before they waltzed right in over the rugs and polished wood floor after the day of cleaning. As with V’s house at FOXHOUND the front door opened right into the living room, where they were greeted by an unexpected housemate.

A calico came padding up to Kaz, winding itself around his feet and meowing insistently.

“You have a cat!” Eli exclaimed, reaching down to touch it and making it dart away. “I didn’t think you were a cat person.”

“It just showed up out there one night.” Kazuhira pointed to the wide French doors across the room, looking out on the scenery as he had promised. “I think the previous owners must have left it here or something.” He strode into the kitchen under an archway, leaving his cane hanging on a peg by the door.

“‘It’? So is it a boy or a girl?”

“Dunno. Don’t chase it sweetheart, you’ll scare it.”

“Ah, sorry.”

“You both like fish? That’s all I have in for dinner.” They heard some pans clatter as he ducked out of sight, prepping for their meal.

David had wandered over to the French doors to look outside again. Eli, sensing another opportunity, came up behind him to take his hand and immediately lost his nerve, accidentally brushing their fingers together instead. He saw his brother look at him in surprise from the corner of his downcast eye. David pushed the backs of their hands together gently until Eli finally held onto him.

“Is this what you wanted?” the brunette whispered to him.

“Hah…it felt a lot less cheesy in my head.”

“No, I like it.”

~

Miller had no idea what time he was supposed to send them to sleep, if he was supposed to at all. There was a point in the evening when he started to notice them slow down as they got more tired. During a lapse in conversation he saw how drowsy they looked and wondered if they were waiting for his permission to go up to bed.

“When are you planning on going to sleep?” The brothers exchanged a conferring glance.

“Umm…we can go now,” Liquid suggested.

“I’m not telling you to. It just looked like you were falling asleep there for a second.”

“No, we can go now. It’s late anyway.”

“Alright. I’ll be gone by the time you get up so you have the place to yourselves until seven. Don’t burn it down, ok? Goodnight boys.”

“Night.”

They had already been shown to their rooms and dropped their packs inside earlier. Liquid would have followed Solid into his room, but Kaz could see what he was doing since the corridor branched off from the living room. It was strange to shut the door and be on his own. He didn’t like it.

Everything was so quiet it was oddly distracting. A frustrating hour of tossing and turning passed and he wasn’t any closer to sleep. Something was off. “David? Are you awake?” he whispered through the wall. There was no answer. The blonde gave in and got himself up again, tiptoeing to the door. Very slowly and carefully he turned the handle and made a tiny gap, peeking through it down the hall. Miller was missing from his chair. _Has he gone to bed too?_ If so he could go in with Solid without being spotted.

Liquid slipped into the hallway on high alert. The calico raised its head to look at him from the armchair in the front room and he willed it to stay quiet. It had a very loud meow that it loved to direct at Kaz, especially whilst he’d been frying them salmon that afternoon.

In just a couple of steps he reached Solid’s room and let himself in. Unlike him his brother had managed to fall asleep so he tried getting into bed without disturbing him, inevitably making him stir from his slumber. The brunette knew it was him sidling in beside him, even while he was still mostly unconscious, and put an arm over him.

Listening to his breathing made Liquid relax immediately. Within a few minutes he was dreaming.


	36. Worried

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo it sure was a long wait for this one! As always, sorry and thank you for being so patient.  
> P.S. all your wonderful comments rejuvenate my soul, I can't thank you all enough! <3

There was something familiar that Solid could sense nearby him. Through the dark shroud of unconsciousness he could smell his brother and feel the warmth of his body against his own. Even though he was out cold he could tell it was Liquid there with him. Calling his name in his sleep produced a mumble just loud enough to disturb his twin, who made a soft noise back. Solid shuffled forward, trying to get his head closer to the sound.

As soon as he settled into a more comfortable position he started to dream. A palpable likeness of his brother appeared before him, in a scene so vivid that he thought he’d actually woken up.

They were in the small bathroom of the house back at FOXHOUND. Liquid was sat on the edge of the full tub with his hand swirling in the water, while he stood by the door watching him. Without even looking in his direction the blonde got up and started to undress, slowly. First his jacket slipped off, then his shirt came up over his head, exposing him. As his hair fell back into place he glanced over his shoulder and smiled, finally acknowledging him. Solid got hot all over very fast, a knot starting to bloom low in his stomach.

His twin continued to strip, letting his jeans drop after fumbling with the fastenings for an agonisingly long time. Once down to his underwear Solid automatically took a step forward to get closer, itching to get his hands on him. The only thing holding him back was the sense that Liquid would stop if he interrupted him now.

Before the last item of clothing came down Liquid turned his back to him completely, dropping them too and getting himself into the bath gracefully. Lying back he looked at the brunette again, as if only just remembering that he was there. The water glittered on his skin as he leaned in to speak.

“Are you here to wash me?” The knot in Solid’s stomach twisted.

“ _Yes_.”

The real Liquid, outside of his dream, kept getting woken up by his wriggling. Solid was clutching onto him so he couldn’t move further away. Somewhere in the garbled muttering he caught his name, and as flattered as he was that he was thinking about him he was getting annoyed at the disturbance.

“ _Shhh,_ ” he whispered back. His sleeping brother didn’t seem to get the message so he repeated it again louder and gave him a clumsy elbow. Solid woke with a start, confused.

“Huh – E-Eli?”

“Go to sleep.” The blonde spoke more softly this time.  _It was just a dream_ , Solid realised.  _It was just a dream_. He felt like he could scream. Or throttle his twin for interrupting him as it was getting good. Now he was lying wide awake, disappointed, painfully hard and overheating under the duvet. He kicked it off in frustration and Liquid whined at him half-heartedly for moving around.

Solid attempted to calm down and close his eyes. It wasn’t easy - the dream had left him incredibly _distracted_ , and he knew it wasn’t going to go away until he took care of it himself. Having his brother beside him made it difficult to want to get up though. Surely it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if he gave him one little kiss before he left?

Gently he moved his head forward, nuzzling around for the right spot in the dark with his lips, and pressed a quick peck into him. Liquid flinched slightly, otherwise unperturbed as he slipped back under the spell of his fatigue.

 _Ok, just one more_. This time Solid put an arm around him to feel his body. Even without the duvet over him he was sweating, yet he still craved his brother’s heat. The second kiss wasn’t enough to satisfy him either. Boldly he slipped a hand under Liquid’s pyjama top to smooth the bare skin at the small of his back, biting his lip. This was exciting him almost as much as the dream. He desperately needed to touch himself, but couldn’t tear himself away from his twin; getting drawn in by him.

The thought crossed his mind then that he didn’t have to leave the room at all to masturbate. The thought also crossed his mind that he could feel Liquid’s body as much as he wanted, provided he didn’t wake him up.

He tore his hands away in an instant, unnerved by himself. That wasn’t a very nice thing to think at all. In fact it was a very _creepy_ thing to think. It was already weird enough that Liquid wasn’t moving while he was kissing him. _That’s really bad. I shouldn’t do stuff like this._

“Sorry,” Solid whispered to him. Time to go sort himself out, _away_ from his unconscious brother.

~

They managed to get themselves up bright and early for a change. Ever since their redacted visit to Outer Heaven waking up refreshed had become an unfamiliar feeling.

After getting dressed Eli sat at David’s feet and allowed him to brush his hair, a new routine that they had gotten into that they both loved. Whenever the blonde tried to repay the favour he tugged too hard and hurt his brother, which David found strangely suspicious seeing as he looked after his own golden hair so well.

Once they were all freshened up the day could really begin. First and foremost they needed some food, heading straight to the kitchen to fix themselves some breakfast. The calico was stretched out on the rug in front of the French doors soaking up the pale rays of sunlight. As they’d discovered yesterday Kaz hadn’t named it yet, despite having it living with him for months. None of Eli’s morbid suggestions were even considered.

The usually sparse fridge had been stocked up for their stay – there were a few things Miller knew Eli liked in there - but they settled for an easy breakfast of cereal. On the other end of the kitchen was the dining room table where they decided to eat. Something caught the blonde’s eye as they were passing through to sit down.

“What do you think is in there?” he pointed his spoon at a closed door between the two rooms.

“Looks like a broom closet to me.”

“We’re about to find out.” Eli set his bowl down to open it and poke his head inside. “Stairs. It’s a basement. Let’s go see what’s down there!”

“Are you gonna let me eat first?”

“Yeah but hurry it up.” The blonde sat down opposite him to start slurping up his own breakfast as fast as he could.

“Yes boss,” David saluted back to him sarcastically. It was tempting to eat slowly on purpose, but he didn’t want to annoy him right at the start of their day. Maybe later.

Abandoning their dishes in the sink they made their way down the hidden stairs and turned into the basement. The overhead lights flickered on when David found the switch, buzzing and sickly blue in colour. At first glance it wasn’t a particularly unusual basement space. One half was occupied by utilities – a washing machine, tumble dryer and a chest freezer – and the other half with gym equipment. In a corner a punching bag hung bolted to the ceiling above a mat.

Eli was the first one to interact with something, giving the punching bag a light bump.

“There are an awful lot of stairs in this house for someone with one leg to climb.”

“Eli!”

“What? It’s true!” David hadn’t known that Miller had a prosthetic leg until he had pulled it right out of the bottom of his tracksuit in front of him yesterday evening, making him jump out of his skin. He’d assumed that he had an injury because of the cane and his limp, but hadn’t expected  _that_. Them laughing at his reaction actually made him feel better about it; he was always worried that he was being rude.

“…Do you know what happened to him?”

“Hm?” Eli was too distracted by the chest freezer to listen properly. “Look he’s left us a note on the lid. ‘Eli I’ve counted every single one so don’t even think about it or I’ll tell your dad’. Why has he addressed this just to me, that’s not fair.” He opened the freezer and his brother joined him to look inside. It was crammed with packs of alcohol and turned off completely to stop the bottles from shattering. “Woah. What the hell does he need all this for?”

“I don’t know. Himself?” The implication didn’t sit well with Eli and he dropped the lid.

“Let’s look at something else.” The equipment across the room was his next concern. Miller’s note was placed back where he’d found it. “What were you saying just now?”

“Oh, I was just asking if you knew what happened to Kaz. His arm and leg, I mean.”

“Not exactly. He’d already lost them by the time we met. I think they were cut off while he was a POW.”

“A what?”

“ _Prisoner. Of. War_.”

“That’s awful.” David shuddered.

“No shit.” Since he had no clue how to operate any of the equipment Eli went straight to try and lift a stray dumbbell, only to find it was a lot heavier than it looked. He persevered to bring it up to his hip so he didn’t look bad in front of his brother, although he had to resort to using both hands to do it.

“There’s nothing to do down here. Can we go back up?”

“Fine.” They abandoned the basement, putting the dumbbell back down very carefully and giving the punching bag a final disappointed whack.

Instead of progressing through the rooms on the first floor (which they expected to be void of any interest) they headed straight upstairs to the aptly named master bedroom. Eli hesitated at the prospect of going in, thoroughly surprising his brother. Usually he had no qualms with rummaging through other people’s stuff.

“Something wrong?”

“I-I don’t know if we should.”

“Then don’t. C’mon, let’s have a go on the sleds instead.” Kaz had bought them a pair of snow sliders that were essentially plastic disks with handles, but they would function much better than the tray they were using at Venom’s house. He’d told them very firmly to only use them on the slope toward the front of his property; behind it the gradient into the valley was gradual enough to scramble up and down, but if they went at speed they’d surely lose control of the little sleds. Not on  _his_  watch, at the very least he wanted to return them to V alive.

“Hm…just…just one quick little peek won’t hurt.” He pushed open the door, unable to resist the temptation to snoop. It was in his blood, after all. David returned his mischievous smile before they dipped inside.

The brunette was drawn to some wooden Venetian blinds that spanned the entire south wall, worming his fingers between two heavy slats to see outside.

“Wow. Check this out.” He searched along the edge of the blinds for the tilt rod and twizzled it, parting the slats to flood the room with light and reveal the view of the valley from an even higher vantage point than the French doors a floor below. “Why would anyone want to shut this out? I’d love to see all this from my bedroom!”

“Maybe it’s more about people seeing  _in_.”

“In?...You think he’s being watched?” David unconsciously stepped back from the big window and scanned around outside. The valley floor was so far down he couldn’t picture anyone being able to see anything at the house without a telescope. The high fence around the property was of little comfort. Eli didn’t seem bothered by his statement at all, busying himself with checking under Kaz’s bed. Watching his butt wiggle as he tried to crawl underneath it suddenly became a much more captivating sight than the vista outside. It reminded him of his dream.

“David I’m kidding.”

“Oh. I’m gonna shut these anyway – we don’t want to leave any sign that we were here.” Everything was plunged back into darkness as the blinds closed again. Eli backed out and switched the bedside lamp on to make up for it. “Find anything?”

“Nothing. Let’s try these.” He pulled out the top drawer from the bedside table and they both peered inside. There was a disorganised muddle of pill packets in there, many of them already empty. David picked one up to examine it, but he didn’t know what he was checking for.

“Think he has enough of these?”

“Obviously he needs them for his pain. I don’t know if you noticed but he only has one of each limb.” His response sounded unnecessarily defensive to his twin.

“I was only joking. I’ll go look in here.” The brunette got himself up again to look through the closet and Eli closed the drawer as quickly as he could. He didn’t want to see in it anymore. In fact he was just getting more discouraged to keep looking with everything they found. Searching through people’s stuff was supposed to be exciting, yet he was just anxious of the next thing they were going to dig up. There was nothing fun about these discoveries. All they did was make him worried. “Woah, Eli! Look look look!”

He hadn’t even realised he had been spacing out until his brother’s voice brought him back to staring down the barrel of the handgun pointed right at him. His reaction was mindless and immediate, lunging forward to grab David’s wrist and twisting it away harshly until the gun flew out of his grasp, and pinning him on the floor with his other hand. “OW!”

“ _Are you out of your mind?!_ _”_ Eli got off to let him sit up and cradle his wrist.

“I wasn’t gonna pull the trigger! That really  _hurt_.”

“Why did you point it at me like that? What if that had gone off accidentally?”

“Ok, ok, I get it! I’m sorry!” David’s shock was more than apparent on his face and in his huddled posture. Still trembling with adrenaline the blonde got on his knees and tried to calm himself down. Wanting to reassure the both of them somehow he crawled up to his brother, settling for giving him a pat on the back. He couldn’t remember the last time that having a gun trained on his head had shaken him up so much.  _Maybe David’s making me go soft._

“…Um, me too. I didn’t mean to…be so rough.”

“I had no idea you could do that.”

“Now you know for next time. Hehe.” His forced laughing did nothing to diffuse the tension. The brunette didn’t find it quite as amusing.

“I don’t know why I did that. I thought – that it would be funny, I guess. I didn’t know you’d break my arm over it.”

“It’s not broken, you big baby. Let me look at it -”

“- No, it’s fine!” He turned himself to shield his wrist. “Please don’t touch it!” If it truly was broken he could easily imagine him trying to crack it back into place or something equally unpleasant.

“Alright.” Eli moved away with his hands up in surrender to retrieve the M9.

“Can we  _please_  go play on the sleds now?”

~

It was starting to get dark out by the time Kaz drove back up his property. He saw one of the twins fly down the little slope on their new snow skimmers as he got to the house, honking the horn lightly to let them know he was back. One of them came trudging up as he got out of the car, but it was hard to tell which one was which under all their layers.

“Hey kiddo. Are the new thingies any good?”

“Yep.” Even with a clear view of their face he couldn’t tell which one it was until they came up close. The voice was a dead giveaway though – this little snake was Eli.

“Good. How long have you been out here? You look frozen.”

“Um…I can’t remember.”

“Come in and get warm for a bit. I’ll get you something hot to drink.”

“Alright.” Eli sounded disappointed that he was dragging them away from their fun. It was definitely the right decision, all the colour had been leeched from his face and his lips were blue. David finally scuttled his way up to join them, holding the arm that wasn’t busy with his skimmer against himself. Miller could tell there was a problem with it.

“Something happen to your arm?”

“I, uh, fell on it going down there. It’s fine.” He doubted that was true, if it didn’t hurt he wouldn’t be tucking it up like that. If he didn’t want it fussed over he wasn’t going to press the matter.

They went in ahead of him laughing, completely absorbed in their own little world. It was a wonderful thing to see; the twins seemed happy with each other, which made him happy in turn. Eli had someone to keep him company, finally. And while they were there they could keep him company.

There was still no word from Venom on how things were going. It wasn’t unusual – he was on Diamond Dogs business, which had nothing to do with Kaz anymore. Plus it had only been a day since he’d last heard from him.

When V had been trying to convince him to look after the twins he’d promised that it would only be a few days, and then he would be back to take them off his hands. Miller had jokingly asked him what he should do if he didn’t come back, at which Venom had scoffed and told him to relax. When had he never come home before?

 _There’s a first time for everything_ , Kaz thought grimly. He ducked into the kitchen to start the kettle up and pulled a pair of mugs from an overhead cupboard. If V never came home…what  _would_  he actually do? Well, firstly he’d have to tell the boys that he was gone. If Eli was anything like he used to be he’d cope very, very poorly with losing Venom. It wouldn’t surprise Kaz at all if he had to be medicated in his grief.

Then, ultimately, the day would come when he would have to hand them back over to  _him_. Their 'real' father. Just thinking about it made his blood boil. _‘Real’ father_.  _He_  didn’t deserve to have them. It wouldn’t be fair to send them back. His first instinct would be to ask to have the twins for good, it’s not like that bastard would miss them. But the request would unquestionably be refused just to spite him.

_If I wanted them I’d have to take them. Pack their bags, load the car up with food and money and go. It won’t be too hard to find some passports to help us disappear. Maybe I could take them home to Japan. A pair of bright cookies like them wouldn’t have much trouble picking up the language._

The calico came into the kitchen to yowl at him for some food.  _And we’d need to find a new home for you, too._  Miller sighed and shook his head.  _Jesus,_   _I’m thinking way too hard about this. V’s right, I need to fucking relax._

He stuck his head into the living room to check on them and got included in their debate when Eli saw him listening in.

“Hey Kaz, answer truthfully – are clones real, yes or no?” Both of the twins looked over at him expectantly.

“Where’s this coming from?”

“David doesn’t believe me,  _and_  he didn’t believe dad when he asked him either.”

“My eyesight isn’t what it used to be, but I’m pretty sure I’m looking at a pair of them right now.”

“Ugh, you just told him to say that!” David turned back to his brother unconvinced.

“I swear I didn’t!”

Kaz chuckled and dipped back into the kitchen to leave them to it. The house was so much brighter with them in it, it gave him something worthwhile to come back to. He was going to miss them.

~

It was more peaceful on the car journey back to FOXHOUND than the drive from it. The twins had been woken up before dawn so they could be dropped back by Miller on his way to work. Two days just wasn’t long enough to spend time with them.

He peeked back at the subdued pair through the rear-view mirror. Eli was glowering out the window and David’s head was hanging limp on his own shoulder, fast asleep.

“Tired kid?”

“Yes.”

“Looking forward to your own bed I bet.”

“No.” Kaz couldn’t help but smirk at his attitude. To him it seemed like he was crabby because he was sleepy, but Eli had something else on his mind.

“I know you’re looking forward to seeing your dad at least.” That much he could count on.

“When are we going to see you next?”

“Well…we’ll all get together for dinner again one night, how’s that sound? And I’m sure V won’t mind letting you stay over sometime.” The younger blonde went back to watching the blackness out the window, clearly unsatisfied with his answer.

“Why don’t you move in with us?” Miller looked back at him, trying to figure out if he was joking. It didn’t sound like it.

“Your place is too small for all of us.”

“That’s not a real reason. It’s not that small. You wouldn’t have to drive far to work…We’d get to see you every day.”

“We can get together more often if it’s bothering you that much sweetheart.” Again he was obviously displeased with his suggestion. Eli furrowed his brow and sat in silence for a few minutes, long enough to make his driver think he’d finally fallen asleep too.

“You still love Daddy, right?” Miller sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose under his sunglasses. _Shit_. “…I just don’t see why we can’t all live together.”

“It’s a little more complicated than that.”

“Everyone always says that to me.” He folded his arms in a sulk. “I can look after the cat.”

“You can keep the cat if you want.”

“Are you coming with it?”

“No.”

“Then I don’t want it. If you won’t give me a real reason can I ask Daddy?”

“ _No_. Do _not_ bring this up to him Eli, he’s got enough on his plate already.”

“…Fine.” David stirred after the car went over a small bump in the road, without waking. The other two heard him sigh, almost forgetting that he was in there with them.

“Seems like you get on well with him.” Miller changed the subject before it could come up again, lowering his voice so as not to disturb the brunette. “Like having him around?”

“Of course.” Eli smiled to himself, looking over at his brother. Kaz saw it briefly in the mirror and instantly felt concerned. Obviously David was the new best thing. On the one hand he knew that Eli’s fixations made him happy – but on the other he’d seen just how damaging they could be. There was still a faint scar on his knuckle from years ago where Eli had mustered the last of his pitiful strength to bite through his glove as he’d tried to force some bread into his mouth, attempting to pinch his nose at the same time to suffocate him into swallowing it, yelling at him to eat it, eat something, eat _anything, please!_

The memory was pushed as far back into his mind as it would go. Things would never get as bad as that again. Never.

“Are you nice to him?”

“I’m always nice!”

“Sure you are,” he snorted.

“I’m always nice to _him_. Mostly.”

“Good boy. Ah, I almost forgot,” Kaz shifted in his seat to reach into his pocket, keeping one hand on the wheel, “here.” He flicked a torn corner of paper into the back seat for him. “It’s my number. You have a phone at home, right?”

“Right.”

“Good. Call me anytime you want sweetheart.”

“Thanks.” Eli tucked the paper in his coat.

“Actually…I need you to do me a favour.”

“What is it?”

“Whenever you hear that you’re getting sent back, I want you to call me. As soon as possible. Ok? If I don’t pick up leave a message.”

“Sent back?”

“Away from Alaska.”

“…Oh. How come?” There was a pause as Kaz decided what to tell him.

“Just so I can come say goodbye.”

 

At the gates of FOXHOUND David got shaken awake by his brother. For him their journey had gone by in what felt like a matter of minutes. He wiped some drool off his face before anyone noticed and sat up, twisting life back into his stiff neck.

From what he could see in the brightening morning outside the rest of the compound was starting to wake up too. Every now and then he spotted a person going about their business, carrying something or heading somewhere, some smoking as they went. Other than that, and the occasional light shining inside a building, the place was empty.

“Why are you here so early?” David asked. Surely they could have stayed in bed a little longer before they had to leave.

“Because the days start early here. I have to be somewhere in less than an hour.”

“That’s rough,” Eli chimed in. “If I had to wake up this early every morning I’d…” he trailed off to think of a suitably dramatic reaction, though his brain wasn’t exactly on top form. “…I dunno, I’d just be really tired.”

“You’re gonna have to get used to it if you want to train here. Or anywhere for that matter.”

“And what if I don’t want to? What if I want to be something else?”

“Like?” It was obvious that he wasn’t being serious but Kaz played along anyway.

“I don’t know…” Eli couldn’t be bothered to come up with an unlikely vocation.

“You can be whatever you want kiddo,” Kaz told him sincerely.

“Sure. I don’t think Dad would be very impressed with that.”

“I think he’d want you to be happy.”

“And what about Father?”

“Well we couldn’t give less of a fuck what he thinks, could we.” He knew he shouldn’t say things like that in front of the twins, but he didn’t care enough to stop himself from saying it this time. Just the once couldn’t hurt. Eli nearly shattered the windows with his surprised laughter, clapping his hands in delight. “Don't tell V I said that to you.” David smiled along with them, feeling like he was missing something. It didn’t matter much to him, at least he was being included.

The closer they got to the house the less there was to see. On the ground the snow was undisturbed by footsteps, unlike the slush soaking the floor further back. Miller felt the rear of the car slide on some ice and gritted his teeth. It wasn’t possible to go slower than he already was; he’d just have to stay vigilant.

They reached the house without any casualties. Eli was reluctant to get out the car, unlike his brother who had made it halfway up the covered path until he realised that he wasn’t being followed and stopped to wait for him. “I have to go to work now,” the older blonde reminded him gently. “You better go on in.” He saw Eli hesitate and thought for a second that he was going to refuse to leave the car, but one look back at David was enough to make him get out.

“Bye.”

“Bye kid. I promise I’ll see you later.”

~

“You missed a big bit there.”

“You know you could always help.” David straightened his back, pouting at the sibling sat watching him from the doorstep. There was only one shovel, so they had to work one at a time. Their father had left them a written request to clear the path of snow on the sofa, next to the new tool so they wouldn’t miss it. Miller had only dropped them off that morning and already they’d fallen back into routine.

 “I did that bit there, didn’t I?”

“That’s like half the size of my part. And I’m injured.” He flexed the wrist that Eli had twisted two days before and winced in self-pity.

“It’s not  _injured_.”

“Yes it is, there’s a bruise!”

“Alright, hand it over and I’ll do the rest.”

“There’s no point  _now_ , I’m nearly done.” The wind blew through both of them, throwing powdered snow into the air and over their shovelling efforts. It had been a constant battle against the strong gale all day. There was no way they were using the snow skimmers that Kaz had let them take home with them until the weather calmed down.

A droplet fell on Eli’s face and he turned it skyward to glance at the grey sky.

“It’s raining.” David stopped again and looked up.

“It better not.” The wind picked up again and whipped his hat right off his head and onto the road.

“Just let me do the rest.” The blonde got up to take the shovel. As soon as he stood the heavens opened, pelting the ground hard with rain and pockmarking the snow. They both turned to look at each other with the same weary expression.

"This is just perfect!"

“Hurry up already!”

"What?" They had to shout over the sound of the rain, but the blonde could tell by his cheeky smile that he'd heard him.

"I said  _hurry up!"_  Eli snatched the shovel from him and pushed him playfully toward his hat, directly over a patch of black ice.

David skidded to find his footing and fell with a hollow  _thonk_ on the tarmac. The rain was forgotten for a second while he laughed at him. “HAHAHA! Oh my God! I didn’t mean to do that.” There was a faint rumble of thunder somewhere far off.  _So much for sledding later on._  “Are you ok? C’mon get up, I’m soaking! David!” Eli got closer to kick his foot. “Quit messing around, let’s go!” He prodded him with his boot again. “David?”


	37. Headache and Heartache

Everything was spinning. A nauseating wave of dizziness crashed over him, overpowering the other senses that were gradually recovering. David made a noise in his confusion, barely hearing it over the high ringing in his ears. He tried to move, feeling pins and needles all over his body. Again he made a noise, fighting to open his eyes.

What little light there was filtering into the living room from outside was blinding. His hand came up clumsily to block it out and he accidentally hit himself in the face. Beside him a voice started banging his numb eardrums insistently.

“David! David? Are you alright?” Eli gripped onto his shoulders, watching his face intently as he came to, squinting back up at him. Had he been crying? “David? _Say_ something!” _We’re…inside_ , the brunette noticed. _I’m on the floor_.

“Whh..w..” His brother pursed his lips to listen to whatever he was struggling to get out. “…What happened?”

“You’re ok?”

“Uh…” He had no idea what was going on and he could barely move. “Yeah.”

“Are you?”

“I just – feel a bit dizzy.” With effort he tried to push himself off the floor into a sit, getting help from his twin. The resulting head rush made him fall into the blonde, bright stars spotting his vision. Finally the first hint of a deep, dull pain throbbed in his skull. Eli glanced toward the phone anxiously, feeling the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. Was this serious enough to warrant calling their father?

“Do you think I should call somebody?”

“Why?”

“Because you’ve been unconscious for like ten minutes!” _…Have I?_

“I feel fine.” Eli bit his lip. David was barely sitting on his own, leaning on him for support, and he was obviously dazed. The fact that he had been out cold too _was_ serious…but he didn’t know if it was worth calling for help. Venom was always going on about how busy he was lately; Eli didn’t want to risk dragging him away from work just to tell him that David had bumped his head and now he felt fine.

“Alright. I can handle this.” He took a moment to think of what he should do. “Sit up here. Can you move?” Eli didn’t wait for an answer, hoisting his twin onto the settee carefully. The furniture kept David up through another spell of vertigo. “I’ll go get you some painkillers. Something tells me you’re gonna have a headache.”

Now that the panic was over (for the most part) he had time to take his wet clothes off. His hat, gloves, scarf, and waterproofs were drenched – as were his brother’s, which were currently soaking into the sofa. _Maybe I should’ve sorted him out first_ , the blonde realised. “You want some help with your clothes?” David opened an eye to look at Eli in his thin thermals and smirked.

“Yes please.”

Getting stripped wasn’t exactly the experience he was hoping for; it was more like a nurse trying to undress a patient than what he had in mind. It was probably for the best, the pain in his head was getting worse by the minute. When Eli handed him the two little tablets he wondered if they would even be strong enough to make any difference.

With Nurse Eli’s short list of duties exhausted he stood waiting for the next task to present itself. David didn’t look like he really needed anything. In fact it looked like he was falling asleep.

“So…are you thirsty or anything?”

“Nah.” The blonde tutted, drumming his fingers on his legs. Surely there was _something_ he could do for his brother.

“I’ll get you a blanket!” he exclaimed in a sudden stroke of genius, scurrying up the stairs to find one. David winced at his loud feet and groaned. Between his temples he was starting to burn, the nausea steadily getting worse. It still wasn’t clear to him exactly what had happened, but he was certainly feeling the result of it now.

Eli came back down and threw a blanket over him triumphantly, plonking himself down on the settee much too hard for David’s liking.

“I-I feel kinda sick,” he warned him meekly.

“You mean – you’re gonna _be_ sick? Like, right now?” Eli shot up off the settee immediately and took a couple steps back.

“I dunno.”

“Shit. Ok.” Flustered all over again Eli rushed into the kitchen to find something to catch it in, flinging all the cupboards open as he went. The container was pushed into David’s hands in record time, though he wasn’t too sure about the choice of crockery.

“Eli…this is a cereal bowl.”

“Yeah, you said you felt sick.”

“Can’t you find anything bigger?”

“Umm-” he retraced his steps through the kitchen, checking more carefully. If Venom found out he’d given him a cooking pot to throw up in odds were he wouldn’t be very happy about it. The only other suitable thing he could see was a plastic basin under the sink. Emptying the cleaning products out of it, he held it up for the brunette to see. “What about this? Big enough?”

“Whatever,” David agreed without looking, focusing all his energy on keeping his breakfast in his stomach. After receiving the basin he cautiously lay himself down on the sofa, shivering. Eli reached over the back of the furniture tentatively to pat him on the shoulder.

~

Venom could see David’s blue hat on the road, even in the overcast dusk. It was sopping wet from the relentless rain, which was still pouring and beating against his thick trench coat. Turning up his collar kept the worst of it off his face, and he’d even put his beret on to keep his head as dry as possible; though it was a tricky fit with the large shard of shrapnel jutting out of his head.

He wrung David’s little hat out and went inside the house. Instantly he smelt vomit and stopped on the threshold, turning the lights on to see what awaited him. The twins were lying on the sofa under a blanket, and the washing basin was next to them on the floor. A gust of cold air from the open door made Eli lift his head from the sofa sleepily.

“Hi.”

“What’s happened?”

“David feels sick.” V hung his coat up and strode over to check on him. The younger brunette was curled up fast asleep, with dark, bruise-like circles under his eyes. He took his glove off with his teeth to feel his forehead. “I’ve been looking after him,” Eli announced proudly.

“You shouldn’t be near him if he’s sick.”

“I’m not gonna catch anything – it’s because he hit his head.”

“ _What?”_ Eli recoiled slightly at his reaction.

“He slipped over outside and passed out.”

“And he’s been puking?”

“Yeah.” Venom ran his fingers through David’s hair gently, feeling around for a lump left by the injury. “Is this bad?…Am I in trouble? I-I didn’t know what to do – ugh, I _knew_ I should have called you!”

“No, you’re not in trouble. But I did give you that number for a reason.” The blonde gave a small sigh of relief. Venom pulled some of the blanket away to stop David from getting too hot. “Was he acting strange today, after he fell?”

“Not really. He was just tired and sick. It was bloody _disgusting;_ I had to pour all his puke away. I thought I was going to throw up as well." Eli gagged at the memory of it "...So is he ok?”

“I’m sure he’s fine.” V moved over to the kitchen and Eli spluttered, covering his mouth and nose with his hands.

“What? What is it?” That was all he needed right now, for the other one to start vomiting too.

“You stink!” Green eyes narrowed to glare at him accusingly. “Of _cigars_. I HATE that smell!” It was impressive that he’d noticed it at all, Venom had only had one that morning and his clothes had been doused by the rain all day. For Eli it was a scent that automatically made him angry.

“Don’t shout, you’ll wake up your brother.” V took off his beret and tossed it like a frisbee onto the table.

“What the hell happened to your hair?!”

“Eli, don’t shout.” It had to be the first time he’d seen his father with short hair. At least, with short _er_ hair - by military standards it was still way too long, but his ponytail was gone. _It’s like he’s just chopped it off!...Actually I think that’s exactly what he did._

“You went away for two days and you come back completely different!” He sank down so that he was hidden by the back of the settee and scowled.

“Sometimes you have to get used to different.” _I hate it when you say stuff like that._

From then on a calm settled over the room, with the only sounds being David’s loud raspy breathing and Venom’s pen scratching over paper. The living room light had been turned off leaving the kitchen light to illuminate the space, making it easier on David’s eyes.

Eli continued to brood. Things were changing. The more he thought about it the more it felt like everything was falling apart and he didn’t know what to do. V’s new smoking habit unsettled him. Cigars were always Snake’s thing, not his. Mother Base was his thing, the hair was his thing. Now he didn’t have either. Next thing he knew he was going to get rid of his horn and start leaving for days on end. _I guess technically he just did._

Who was he supposed to talk to about all this – Kaz? Apparently not, there was obviously something weird going on between them; which made him even more anxious.

Then there was the discovery of the copious amounts of pills and alcohol at Kaz’s place. And who was he supposed to talk to about _that_ – definitely not Venom for the same reason he couldn’t talk to Miller.

The person he usually turned to when V wasn’t an option was George, but now he was gone too. When he remembered how he’d refused his offer to come and say goodbye properly he was…ashamed. He had been scared to go back. Goodbye was so final, as if it was inviting something bad to happen and make it farewell forever. Aside from that, if he went back how did he know Snake would let him return to Alaska? As much as George liked to tease him, he was one of the few people in the world who was kind to Eli. His older brother didn’t deserve him being a coward like that.

Then came the matter of his twin. David was everything to him. No one made him feel the way he did. And what had he done to repay the person he cared about so much? He had pushed him into the road. This was his fault. David’s pain was _his_ fault. Carrying a bucket of his vomit was the very very least he could do to make it up to him.

Eli wasn’t sure which of these made him feel worse. Was it his utter failure to protect his twin – being the one who put him in harm’s way, in fact – his failure to hold onto the father he loved, his powerlessness in the face of his loved one’s problems, or his failure to put anyone else before himself? All of these things stacked up on top of him, like he was being buried alive.

Venom cleared his throat at the table and shuffled some papers. “It’s gonna be your birthday soon.” At once, just like that, Eli’s mood was lifted; and he raised his head to smile at his father enthusiastically.

“Oooh yes!” Growing up Eli had never celebrated his birthday the usual way with gifts and cake and childlike excitement. That is, until he turned thirteen and his new family practically drowned him under a pile of presents and festivity.

“I’m gonna take tomorrow morning off to get David to the medbay. Better start writing a list of the presents you want. If it’s as long as the last time we’ll need a while to get everything.”

“What?” Eli stopped him before he could completely sidestep his first point. “He needs a doctor? You said he was fine!”

“It’s only so we can be sure.”

“Sure of what? Is he ok or isn’t he?”

“You don’t need to worry about it.” The blonde gritted his teeth to keep from screaming. _If I had a dollar for every time he said that I’d be able to buy my fucking birthday list twice over!_

“But I _am_ worried. Can you please just tell me?” V sighed and put his pen down, turning to him properly with an guardedly blank expression.

“I’m trying not to panic you, Eli. This could be very serious. I need to be certain that it’s not.” Eli blanched, his eyes going wide, and glanced back down at his sleeping twin again.

“N-no – what?…he woke up. He stopped being sick!” His father shook his head slightly. This was exactly why he lied about these things. “What’s going to happen to him?”

“Probably nothing. Like I said, we just need to be _sure_.” That didn’t count as a lie…it was just embellishing the truth a little to keep his son happy. Otherwise he’d be dealing with his borderline hysterics all night. _Nothing_ , Eli repeated to himself, settling back under the blanket. Guilt weighed heavy on his chest. _I really fucked it up this time. I really…_

“It was an accident,” he admitted vaguely, but it did nothing to remedy his conscience.

~

It was warm in the bright sun, even with the breeze blowing across the field. David stopped tearing up grass to peer at his brother again, lounging beside him. The blonde shrugged.

“I like you.” Everything stood still around him, his heart hammering in his chest. This feeling that was so new to him, that he was so distracted by – did Eli just confess he felt it too?

“Really?”

“Yes, _really_.” _I can’t believe this is happening._

“Well, I like you too!” That made Eli smile as well and laugh, getting up and leaning in for a kiss.

_A kiss? No, it was a hug. It was just a hug._

All around him the tainted memory began to blur and dissolve, his mind disoriented by the contradiction.

 

David was started awake by the freezer door closing, whining at the pounding it started in his skull. Even the back of his neck was aching.

“You ok?” his twin whispered to him, tucked up comfortably on the sofa at his feet. “Hungry? Dad’s making dinner.”

“Yeah…I’m fine.”


	38. Drawing

Crystals of ice had crept around the borders of the window pane, announcing the unsurprising return of freezing temperatures at FOXHOUND, after yet another spell of rain. Eli glared at the road from his room, almost able to picture the David-shaped dent in the tarmac. He could still hear the dull sound his head had made. Thinking about it, it was a wonder that his twin wasn’t more seriously hurt. In a way it was almost funny; how more pitiful a way to die – especially as the clone of a legendary super soldier - than dashing his head on the ground? He shuddered, suddenly deciding it wasn’t funny at all. _Why did I have to push you?_

Eli swallowed the lump in his throat. He’d done enough crying the night before, listening to his brother whimper in his pain-filled sleep. The brunette put on a brave face while he was awake, but he couldn’t keep it up forever.

V had taken off with David absurdly early, for whatever reason. Maybe V didn’t want the visit to medbay cutting into his work time after all, trying to get David in and out before the day began. Or maybe he just wanted to get him to a medic as soon as possible, or get him seen to when there wouldn’t be anyone else around. _Including me_ , Eli griped to himself. What harm would it have done to let him tag along?

The boredom of being alone plagued him. Screwball scramble just wasn’t the same when there was no one cheering you on over your shoulder. Now more than ever he appreciated David’s company in the little house. It was bad enough when he had to drift through Snake’s empty place during the months with George away.

Tiring of sulking at the window, he stepped over the upended board games and made his way down to the phone. It was still early enough that Miller might be at home. With each ring of the number he’d pulled out of his coat pocket his hopes of Kaz picking up dampened. When he eventually got an automated answering machine he put the phone down with a huff.

 _He’ll be back by midday,_ Eli had to remind himself. Then he and his brother could get back to their usual antics. Perhaps more subdued than usual, though…David had looked like a corpse when he’d seen him that dark morning, the bruises under his eyes more pronounced and his skin ashen. Even so he’d managed a smile for him. He’d wanted to give him a hug or a kiss before he left, but with V standing guard at his side he could only wish him luck stiffly and watch them go.

Eli grabbed the pen and notepad by the telephone, scribbling to get the ink running. It had been so long since he’d drawn anything. He wished he’d packed his sketchbook to bring to Alaska. Usually he had every inch of the pages memorised, but now he couldn’t recall exactly what he’d filled it with.

The blank lined paper gave him no inspiration at all. Easing back into it he started small, doodling a simple little flower. _Terrible_. His eyes fell on where his right hand steadied the pad and he tried to replicate that, but he thought it looked so bad he had to scribble it out hard before he could even finish.

“Damn,” he hissed aloud, starting to get annoyed at himself. Sighing, he tried again, drawing something from his imagination. Animals were always an easy warm up for him. Slowly some plain shapes began taking form on the paper, gradually becoming more detailed. By the time he got around to sketching a snake, as he always did eventually, the page was almost full.

Pythons were always his favourite to draw, the one he was most practiced at. He liked the shape of their heads and mouths, and the smooth thickening and thinning of their bodies. The python stayed without markings, its forked tongue tasting the paper. With the last stroke of the pen his hand was aching.

Eli turned his head to the clock in the kitchen to his side. _Thirteen minutes?_ he counted, incredulous. It had only been _that_ long since he’d last checked? The day was shaping up to be slower than he thought.

~

A long golden strand of hair was caught on the wool of his borrowed hat. Carefully David plucked it out, weaving it between his bare fingers. His father walked beside him, setting a pace that he was finding difficult to keep up with. He hadn’t said a word since they left the medical centre, which David found more than a little worrying.

V and the medic had gone out of the room to discuss his condition, at the medic's uncertain insistance, as though he didn’t know they were talking about him. Was he some sort of baby now, who couldn’t even hear his own prognosis? Perhaps he was dying, and his father wanted to tell him in private. _That must be what’s happening_ , he told himself, not fully able to believe it. Still, it made his chest tight with apprehension. It didn’t help that the frosty air was starting to burn as he breathed.

“S-so,” David began, desperate for any sort of feedback, “what did they say?” V took so long to respond David wondered if he’d even heard him.

“…Without a scan we can’t see the extent of the damage. With your pain, and these fits…I’m sending you to get checked again, fully.” That answer didn’t clear anything up. _What was the point of all this? No one can even tell me if I’m ok or not,_ he despaired. Again he wished that Eli was there with him. Eli would have kept pestering him until he got some sort of straight answer. That was probably why he was left behind.

As he went along David took in the complex sprawled around them, watching the organised comings and goings of cadets and operatives and even catching a glimpse of the hares that propagated safely behind FOXHOUND walls. They were moulting, their white winter coats sprouting in tufts around their brown. Whenever he felt his balance wavering he would turn his eyes back to the pale concrete beneath him to steady himself.

Shots rang out to his right, so close he could feel the noise under his feet. Venom didn’t miss a step, but it made David jump. While he was focussing in the other direction, where the heart of the compound was shrinking as the road steered them away, they had come up to a firing range; one of the longer distances. Cadets were lying on a platform of gravel 100 yards away with their backs to them, handling rifles nearly as tall as they were. Unlike him, they had the benefit of ear defenders.

Under instruction they all ejected the used casings as one. David kept watching them, fascinated. He could barely see the targets they were aiming for. _I want a go. Looks like fun._ A moment later, as he was about to ask his father how far they were shooting, he realised he’d lost sight of the cadets. The range was now behind them, where they had been alongside it a split second ago.

V saw him falter and look around him in confusion. “We’re going back now,” he reminded David quietly. A red metal hand was placed on his shoulder to stabilise him.

“Back,” David repeated meekly. His feet caught up with him again, and they continued home.

At their little place Eli was bent over the table, still doodling on the notepad. After he’d filled a page he ripped it out, until there was a sizeable chunk missing from the pad. When he heard the door he turned in his seat, watching his family file in. He met V’s eyes expectantly, but his father said nothing.

David shuffled over to sit with him after taking his coat off, picking one of the papers up to examine it. “I thought you said you were no good with pen.”

“I was wrong.” Eli smiled, giving him a look laden with such guilt that it made David uncomfortable. He’d already forgiven him last night when Eli had confessed that he had caused the accident. What could he do to make him feel better? “You ok?”

“I’m fine.” David didn’t even sound convincing to himself, which certainly didn’t help. Eli went back to tracing over some lines pointlessly, wanting to apologise for the thousandth time but acutely aware that Venom was busying himself within earshot.

His father came to the table to hand David some water. He thanked him, but it was all he could do not to do it through gritted teeth. _I can get my own water. I’m not an invalid._ Everyone was doing their best to make him feel like one, it seemed.

“You been wasting all my paper?” V snatched the notepad from under Eli’s hand, raising it higher as his son tried to grab it back. The FOXHOUND emblem was copied from the sleeve of one of his jackets, the smiling fox and whizzing bullet. That had been the unit’s standard before he had taken command. Underneath it Eli must have taken a stab at his own version; a much more realistically stylised angry fox crouching with a knife in its mouth. V smirked at it and tore the page for himself, handing the pad back to the blonde. “I’ll get you a pack of printer paper.”

“Can you get me a pencil and a rubber and all that too?”

“Why don’t I just bring you the whole office?” Venom dropped heavily onto the settee behind them, letting himself sink into it. That was the most relaxed Eli had seen him in a long time.

David held his head in one hand, resting his elbow on the table. His other hand crawled along until it met with his brother’s and curled around his last two fingers. The pen dropped out of Eli’s hand in his surprise, and he turned back to share a secret smile with the brunette. It was short lived, though, as the blonde wrested his digits back to write something on the pad and push it towards him.

_\- what did the doctor say?_

David took up the pen and wrote back.

_\- nothing_

Eli took the pad back and sighed in a way that said, ‘what did I expect?’. David thought he looked drained; tired and perhaps in need of a wash. _But still so handsome…and definitely looking better than I am_. He recalled the dream he’d had the first night at Kaz’s, of his twin in the bath, and blushed, shifting in his seat.

“Does it hurt?” Eli whispered, noticing his restless movement.

“I have some stronger stuff for it now.”

“Is it helping?”

“I think so,” he told him truthfully. It hadn’t been very long since he’d taken the handful of pills at the medical centre, but he felt some of the relentless pressure in his skull starting to ease away, much to his relief. He never realised how much he took being pain-free for granted.

One by one he began looking over the scattered pile of doodles, turning each page to check both sides. _It must be fun to be able to draw this good_. “I like these. How do you remember what they all look like?” Everything had more detail than he would ever think to add.

“Dunno. Maybe I just have an eye for it. Why don’t you give it a go?” The notepad slid back to him and David took it up gladly. Why not? It would be fun to embarrass himself in front of his brother this once. They needed a bit of fun.

“Right. Let me show you how it’s done.” He lay one of Eli’s drawings in front of him to help, but he knew it wouldn’t make much difference. First he drew a point, like an arrow, and immediately got stuck on his next move. Eli was watching him eagerly.

“What is it?”

“It’s… _supposed_ to be…a bird,” David admitted as he attempted to draw the head and body in one pen stroke. It ended up more like a deformed sausage than anything. A pair of sausage wings were added on its lumpy back. The blonde snorted and it set him off laughing too, his pain forgotten.

“Can I keep this?”

“Sure. It’s a ma-” David stopped short, his face falling blank. His eyes stared ahead, unseeing, his eyelids fluttering.

“David?” Eli recoiled in horror, gripping onto the table. There was no sign that he’d even been heard. “Dad, help! _Daddy!”_ V whipped around at the sound of his son’s panic, watching David closely with concern.

“Alright, it’s ok. He’s having a seizure.”

“ _Fuck!”_ He tore his eyes away from his brother for a split second to see why his father wasn’t rushing over. “ _Do_ something!”

“There’s nothing we can do," the phantom warned him sternly. "He’ll come out of it.”

Eli sat uselessly, helplessly, hovering a hand over his brother but too afraid to touch him.

“It’s a masterpiece.” Coming round as instantly as he’d gone under, David finally finished his sentence and went back to adding some stick legs to his drawing, completely oblivious. Even his soft, happy expression returned to him.

“David,” Eli breathed, reaching out finally to touch his arm, “…are you alright?”

“Yep.” The younger brunette didn’t even look up at him. He chuckled at his bird again.

“Leave him to it. He won’t notice when it happens,” Venom told Eli quietly.

“Why didn’t he…like, _shake?”_ David looked up at the tremulous tone in his voice and realised they were talking about him. _Shake?_

“It’s not that kind of fit. It’s harmless baby, you don’t have to be scared.” It was getting irritating, everyone talking about him as though he weren’t there. _What do you mean?_ David wanted to ask. _Scared of what?_ As he was about to do just that his brother spoke up first.

“Will it ever go away?”

“…I don’t know.” The blonde clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.

“Excuse me.” Eli pushed away from the table roughly and took himself swiftly up the stairs, leaving David to sit on his own there in confusion.


End file.
